News from The Parents' Place of Maryland - July 2012

[Howard Hartman]

July 2012 Supreme Court Decision on Affordable Care Act  Disability groups across the United States celebrated the Supreme Court Decision released on June 28, 2012. The Court upheld key provisions in the law.  For families of children with disabilities the law has several important features: no one can be denied coverage based on a pre-existing condition; young adults may stay on their parents insurance until age 26; and increased funding to Community Health Centers and School Based Health Centers. Each state is able to expand its Medicaid program to give families and individuals greater access to quality healthcare and long-term home and community based care.    Groups applauding the Supreme Court decision include: Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund Easter Seals  National Council on Disability Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Association of University Centers on Disability Family Voices   The Kaiser Family Foundation offers a downloadable fact sheet on the Affordable Care Act. Healthcare.gov has a timeline to show when different parts of the law go into effect. The Christian Science Monitor: What The Supreme Court Decision Means for US Consumers Baltimore City Schools Continue to Reform Special Education Baltimore City schools are working to exit court and state oversight of special education that has been in place as the result of a lawsuit filed 28 years ago. The district has made progress in areas, such as increased graduation rates for students in special education, lower dropout rates and more students being educated in inclusive settings. However, some say issues remain. This Baltimore Sun article has interviews with educators and families.   Charter Schools Enroll Fewer Students with Disabilities Charter schools in most states continue to enroll proportionately fewer students with disabilities than traditional public schools, a new government report shows.   Across the country, disabled students represented 8.2 percent of all students enrolled during the 2009-10 year in charter schools, compared with 11.2 percent of students attending traditional public schools, according to a Government Accountability Office analysis of Department of Education data. This New York Times article summarizes the report.   Easy Go: Accessible Family Changing Room  Maggie's Light is partnering with Wilmot Modular Structures to develop and provide accessible family changing rooms for individuals with disabilities, and their families that care for them, at community outings such as festivals, concerts, athletic and other events. The EasyGo provides individuals with disabilities, and their families, with the opportunity, and freedom to participate in their community without worry for their personal hygiene needs. Please contact Maggie's Light if you have interests in learning more, supporting this project, or renting the EasyGo. Help Maggie's Light to change our community, by making it accessible to everyone!  For more information visit the Maggie's Light website. Baltimore County Schools Ends Zero-Tolerance Policy The Baltimore County school board voted recently to get rid of a zero-tolerance approach to discipline and replace it with a policy that will give principals more discretion in deciding how to handle serious offenses.   The county has one of the highest suspension rates in the state, and school leaders hope to reduce the number of times a student is sent home from school for minor infractions. The new policy will also give school leaders more discretion in cases where principals have no choice about what punishment to give a student. Read more about this policy change here. Project Employment Project Employment is a work skills development program that helps young adults with autism spectrum disorders and/or chronic mental illness obtain employment in their home communities. This innovative program pairs classroom instruction with community practice to help participants learn and master the skills required to obtain and maintain employment in today's competitive workplace. For more information including eligibility requirements click here.  Finding Health Care on Vacation Getting sick or hurt while on summer vacation is unfortunate enough. Don't add insult to injury by neglecting a few health-related details that could save you money in the event you need medical treatment. This Wall Street Journal article offers cost saving tips.  One of the most important things to do when going on a vacation with a child with special health care needs is find out what your insurance will cover.   DDA & Medicaid Seek Stakeholder Input The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) and Medicaid have been working with a stakeholder group to discuss development of new Medicaid support waivers for people with developmental disabilities. The Department is hosting opportunities for the public to provide input on services and supports available through the waiver. The target audience includes people on the DDA waiting list and their family members as well as advocates and other interested stakeholders.    The flyer outlines the various ways that people can provide input during the month of July: 1. attend one of four public meetings 2. participate in a conference call 3. through an online survey   The flyer will be mailed to all people on the DDA waiting list, posted on websites and distributed by e-mail. They are seeking assistance in getting the word out through web sites, list servs, etc. so please share the information as appropriate.       In This Issue Supreme Ct. Decision Baltimore City Schools Charter Schools Accessible Family Changing Room End to Zero-Tolerance Policy Project Employment Article Headline Save These Dates!      July 26, 2012 ADA Celebration Univeristy of Maryland, Baltimore County 2:00pm-5:00pm   August 5-7, 2012 Reinventing Quality Conference Baltimore, MD   September 21, 2012 "Speak Up So Others Can Speak Out" Summit Allegany College, MD   October 5-6, 2012 AutCom Annual Conference Howard County, MD    October 9 -11, 2012 DORS/MRA Conference  Ocean City, MD   October 18, 2012 Wrightslaw Conference Silver Spring, MD 9:00am-4:30pm   October 24, 2012 Maryland Respite Care Conference Linthicum Heights, MD 8:00am-4:00pm   Check the PPMD online calendar for time,  location, and registration information for these and many other training opportunities. www.calendarwiz.com/ppmd  Raising Your Challenging Child Summer Program    For parents of children of all ages with challenging temperaments or developmental differences, these five interactive courses examine some common and difficult issues. Pick and choose. Take one, some, or all. Pay what you can. We will focus on a different topic each night. Dr. Shapiro will present some background concepts and specific strategies. Then the group will discuss individualized approaches to implementation. Handouts will be provided.  Classes are held in Rockville, MD.  More information can be found here. Post Secondary Education for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities This four page brief from ThinkCollege! discusses the history of and opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to attend post secondary colleges and universities. Wish-A-Fish Foundation The Wish-A-Fish Foundation's mission is to provide a little relief for a family from the daily stress of having a child with "special needs" such as a life-threatening illness, or a mental or physical disability, by taking the entire family out for a day of fun and fishing on the water.  Find us on Facebook.

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