News

Circles of Life Conference - CALL FOR PRESENTERS!!

The Call for Presenter application and instructions are now available on the COL website! The conference will be held May 4-5, 2017 at the Holiday Inn, Stevens Point and draws 400 - 500 families who have children with special needs from around the state. The deadline is October 7th.

The Circles of Life Conference Planning Committee encourages you to submit an application!

http://www.circlesoflifeconference.com/call-for-presenters/

Vanderbilt University has designed a virtual reality simulator to help teens who have autism learn how to drive.   It's specifically designed to teach people the basic rules of the road, and it also collects information about ways they react to situations.  It then can alter the scenarios with varying degrees of difficulty to provide people with the training they need.  Overall, trials of this program have had positive results, but more research needs to be done.

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Medicaid officials want states to do more to make sure that people with disabilities have access to services to remain in the community.  Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released guidelines states and services can take to ensure a strong home care workforce is in place.  States are also being urged to create registries to help people find qualified home care workers.

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The most common characteristic  among people with disabilities in the US is living near or in poverty. Nearly, one in three Americans with disabilities currently lives in poverty.  There are many reasons contributing to this statistic.  Limited access to educational and employment opportunities are just two of  the many factors. Racial disparities also factor in.  The National Disability Institute has started a campaign called DISABLE POVERTY that aims to build awareness around disability, financial capability, and poverty.

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More and more television shows are bringing the notion of disability into storylines.  While there are still many  troublesome factors associated with this (such  as exploiting disabilities and characters are usually played by an actor without a disability), having disability in the storylines is helping society gain a new perspective on disability.  The show "Born This Way" (which is about seven young adults living with Down Syndrome) is gaining popularity. The show doesn't focus on Down Syndrome but rather by how the cast pursue their passions and dreams.  

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Late in June, the US Supreme Court decided it wouldn't hear a case disputing a 2013 Dept. of Labor regulation that requires in-home care  workers to receive minimum wage and overtime pay.  Before this rule took effect, caregivers weren't entitled to the same rights as other types of employees.  Many care agencies sued over this change stating that it would make care unaffordable to their clients, but the Supreme Court found otherwise.

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The 26th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was July 26th.  The ADA improved the lives of people with disabilities in many ways.  Here is an excellent list of things to know  and understand about the ADA.  It has lots of great links and resources.

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According to a new report, more Medicaid dollars are going toward community-based services than institutional care.  In 2014, 53% was directed to community-based services.   That's a 51% increase from the previous year.  This suggests that ideas about  how to best serve people   with developmental disabilities are trending toward community living.  However, most of funds to care for older adults and those with physical disabilities went to institutional settings.

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Today, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced plans to expand Family Care and IRIS programs statewide by beginning of 2018. This will eliminate the wait list for hundreds of people seeking long-term care services.  This means the final seven counties in Wisconsin will finally have access to services.

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