Connected Communities Newswire - Special Needs

Webinar: The Affordable Health Care Act for Children with Special Health Care Needs

Howard Hartman — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:15:18 GMT

FREE Webinar for Parents

Are you concerned about all the changes to health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and wondering how they may impact your child with
special health care needs (CSHCN) or disabilities?

Join us for a FREE 1 hour webinar on Friday, May 10th from 12PM to 1PM to discuss issues related to the ACA and the potential effect and benefits for health services.

Speaker: Beth Dworetzky, Assistant Director, Catalyst Center (http://hdwg.org/catalyst) in Massachusetts, is a national expert on issues related to children with special health care needs and health insurance. She is the parent of a young adult with

complex health care needs.

To register:

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/596723782

The Parents' Place of Maryland

801 Cromwell Park Drive

Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061

410-768-9100

The Parents' Place of Maryland | 801 Cromwell Park Drive | Ste 103 | Glen Burnie | MD | 21061

Attention Deficit Disorders Programs Scheduled at Three Montgomery County Libraries

Howard Hartman — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:55:57 GMT

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2013

Attention Deficit Disorders Programs Scheduled
at Three Montgomery County Public Libraries

Three branches of Montgomery County Public Libraries will host free programs for parents and teachers on two topics related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) during the month of May.

�What is Adult ADD?� will be presented by Joan Palmer, Ed. M., ACCP, an accredited AD/HD and Life Coach and member of the Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders (CHADD) Board of Directors according to the following schedule:

Thursday, May 2 � Germantown Library, 19840 Century Blvd. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Call 240-777-0110.

�Parenting the ADHD Child� will include information about symptoms of ADHD in children and coping strategies for parents to support their children at home and advocate for them in school settings. Janette Patterson, MSW, and member of the CHADD Board of Directors, will present the program according to the following schedule:

Saturday, May 4 -- Marilyn J. Praisner Library, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville. 1 to 2:30 p.m. Call 240-773-9460; and

Tuesday, May 7 -- Quince Orchard Library, 15831 Quince Orchard Blvd, Gaithersburg. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Call 240-777-0200.

For more about CHADD, visit www.chadd.org.

Register online from the library homepage.

To request a sign language interpreter or other deaf/hard of hearing services for library-sponsored programs, email MCPL.DeafAccess@montgomerycountymd.gov,
preferably with three business days notice. To request other accommodations, contact the host library.

Youth Transition in Health Care Conference April 13, 2013

Howard Hartman — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:04:35 GMT

	Youth Transition in Health Care Conference

	Join Us for a Free Conference on Health Care Transition for Youth with Special Health Care Needs! Are you the parent of a teen with special health care needs or disabilities? Do you or your teen have concerns or questions about the transition from child to adult health care? If, so this conference is for you! Join us for a full day, FREE conference for parents and youth! April 13, 2013 9am-4pm Southern Maryland Higher Education Center 44219 Airport Road California, MD 20619 Bring your teen son or daughter (ages 13-18) with special health care needs or disabilities to meet other teens, to hang out in the "Parent Free Zone", and to learn how to become more responsible for their own health care. Breakfast snacks, lunch, and prizes are included. Parents, you can spend time networking with other parents, learning about transitioning your teen from pediatric to adult health care, SSI benefits, and other important topics related to your child becoming an adult! Providers are also invited to attend. A parent who attended last year said:"It was fabulous. I really liked the support and connection with other parents that care and are knowledgeable on the topics to help us help our children. Because of this workshop series I have the knowledge and feel empowered to help my boys. Thank you Parents' Place of Maryland. There are no real words to describe how grateful I am." Registration is required. Deadline for registration is April 5, 2013 To register: www.ppmd2.org. If you have questions,go to www.ppmd2.org, or call 410-768-9100.

Spring Carnival for Children with Special Needs

Howard Hartman — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:08:52 GMT

Remind Me

Spring Carnival for Children with Special Needs

Elementary and middle school children with both physical and intellectual challenges are invited

There will be both fine motor and gross motor activities... arts and crafts, bowling, and more!

Refreshments Provided

Saturday, March 23rd, 2013 from Noon to 3pm

Good Counsel High School
17301 Old Vic Boulevard
Olney, MD 20832

Indoor event held rain or shine!

View Larger Map

rollDC Earns New Funding from District of Columbia to Continue Service

Howard Hartman — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:06:51 GMT

rollDC Earns New Funding from District of Columbia
to Continue Service for People with Disabilities

Monthly accessible taxi wheelchair trips have
more than tripled between August 2010 and 2012

District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray and Councilmember Mary Cheh announced today that D.C. has secured $375,000 in funding to match a federal grant and ensure that the rollDC pilot continues to provide wheelchair accessible taxi service to the public. rollDC, which is implemented and managed by the Transportation Planning Board (TPB) in partnership with Yellow and Royal Cab, provides over 400 trips a month to customers who need a wheelchair ramp to use a taxi. The match funding by D.C. will be used to leverage about $1 million in federal funding to support expanding the number of vehicles in the pilot, maintaining and operating the vehicles, and driver training.

Demand for the service has grown steadily. The number of wheelchair trips has more than tripled between August 2010 and August 2012. Before rollDC�s January 2010 launch, none of the taxis operating in the District were equipped with ramps to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility devices.

�The funding support from the Mayor and Council and growing customer demand means this important pilot will keep rolling,� said College Park City Council Member Patrick Wojahn, who serves as TPB Vice Chair and has led its advisory committee for people with disabilities. � The Transportation Planning Board was able to work together with all the parties�the cab companies, advocates, taxicab commission, the Mayor and Council�and bring this service to residents and visitors of our nation�s capital.�

To initially launch rollDC, the TPB used a $1.3 million Federal Transit Administration grant to purchase 20 ramp-equipped minivans, train drivers, promote the service, and monitor the pilot�s performance. The grant included $200,000 in matching funds from D.C. and contributions from Yellow and Royal Cab.

�Yellow Paratransit through its affiliate company Yellow Cab Co. of DC Inc. is fully committed to the rollDC pilot and very excited that the City has provided the matching funds to maintain and expand this very critical service,� said Roy Spooner of Yellow Cab. �We know that the additional vehicles will greatly enhance the current service and help us to better respond to the travel needs of the disabled community.�

Customers have noted through a customer survey that rollDC provides another transportation option in addition to MetroAccess for people with disabilities. While rollDC users pay regular priced taxi fares, they have more flexibility by avoiding the pre-registration process and one-day advance booking of MetroAccess. The survey also showed that one third of rollDC�s users are visitors to the nation�s capital.

�People with disabilities who work or live in or visit our nation�s capital must have access to taxicabs in the same manner as any other person,� said James Weisman, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for United Spinal Association.

Customers can book a trip via phone or the internet: Yellow Cab of DC (202) 544-1213; www.dcyellowcab.com ); Royal Cab (202-398-0512; www.dctaxionline.com ).

Free Attention Deficit Disorders Programs to be Held at Four County Libraries

Howard Hartman — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:58:41 GMT

For Immediate Release
February 27, 2013

Free Attention Deficit Disorders Programs to be Held
at Four Montgomery County Public Libraries Branches

Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) will host free programs for parents and teachers on two topics related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) at four library branches in March and April.

Topics include: �Parenting the ADHD Child� and �Transition and College Planning: Launching the ADHD High School Graduate.� The programs are presented through a partnership with Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders (CHADD), www.chadd.org.

�Parenting the ADHD Child� will include information about symptoms of ADHD in children and coping strategies for parents to support their children at home and advocate for them in school settings.

Janette Patterson, MSW, and member of the CHADD Board of Directors, will present �Parenting the ADHD Child� on the following dates and locations:

Thursday, March 14 -- Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd., 7 � 8:30 p.m. Call 240-777-0970; TTY 301-657-0840.
Monday, April 8 -- Aspen Hill Library, 4407 Aspen Hill Rd., Rockville., 7 � 8:30 p.m. Call 240-773-9410; TTY 301-871-2097.
Thursday, April 11 -- Germantown Library, 19840 Century Blvd., 7 � 8:30 p.m. Call 240-777-0110.

In the session on �Transition and College Planning: Launching the ADHD High School Graduate,� speakers Joan Wittan, Sue Cook Christakos and Kyle Kane of the College Consulting Collaborative will share tips with high school students (and their families) with ADHD and other learning challenges as they plan for life beyond high school.

�Transition and College Planning: Launching the ADHD High School Graduate� will be held at the following libraries:

Thursday, March 21 -- Germantown Library, 19840 Century Blvd.7 � 8:30 p.m., Call 240-777-0110.
Tuesday, April 16 -- Davis Library, 6400 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, 7 � 8:30 p.m. Call 240-777-0922; TTY # 301-897-2203.

Online registration is available at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library, then go to the link to the Library Events Calendar.

To request a sign language interpreter or other deaf/hard of hearing services for library-sponsored programs, email MCPL.DeafAccess@montgomerycountymd.gov, preferably three business days in advance of the program. To request other accommodations, contact the host library.