News

Everyone loves to travel every once in awhile. People travel to places for a variety of reasons. Traveling is generally fun and exciting, but it also can be stressful. This is especially true for many people who have disabilities. There are several things that people with disabilities have to think about when traveling. Market Watch put together a great guide of tips for people with disabilities.

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Recently, the Biden-Harris Administration announced actions and new data that will help expand home-and-community-based services. The American Rescue Plan is helping deliver $37 billion across the country to strengthen services. CMS released new guidance outlining how states can use worker registries for HCBS to make sure people have awareness and access to qualified workers.

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The U.S. Census Bureau is considering changing the way it asks people about disabilities and advocates are concerned. Advocates feel it would artificially reduce their numbers by half. This would not only limit the amount of needed resources available, but it would also not accurately count the number of people who are living with disabilities. 

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Self-Determination Network News:

December 2023

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Resources for Employing Caregivers 

It's no secret that there has been a caregiver shortage for many years. This crisis affects almost everyone in one way or another. Hiring and retaining workers is challenging--especially for people who hiring their own workers. Applied Self-Directed published a report entitled, Bridging the Gap: Strengthening Insights Into Strengthening the Self-Directed Workforce. Included in the report were a few great appendices about finding and keeping workers. 

Appendix l gives many great examples of where people can try to find workers. It lists different websites that people can post ads on, and it also includes examples of places where people can post ads and flyers in their community. It also gives examples of how people could use word of mouth to recruit caregivers.

In Appendix lll, it talks about many easy ways that people can show appreciation for their workers. It lists many examples of acts of gratitude that don't take a lot of work and don't cost very much. Giving gratitude and having small perks for employees often helps keep them longer.

The Self-Determination Network includes some very talented members and we want to help you to get to know each other a little better. Member Spotlight is a great way for us to get to know each other better.

This month, we shined the spotlight on Randi. This advocate extraordinaire believes that everyone has a right to make choices and encourages people to keep asking questions. Check out this month's Member Spotlight to get to know Randi.   

Who should we shine the spotlight on next?

Stacy’s Journal

Recordings from the 2023 Self-Determination Conference 

Video recordings of all the sessions from the 2023 Self-Determination Conference are now available on the Self-Determination Channel on YouTube. The pre-conference sessions as well as the Diehard award presentations are also available. Check out the presentations that you may have missed at the conference!

Take five minutes to check out what's happening on the Self-Determination Network:

• Impact of Climate Change: As the planet warms scientists say natural disasters are becoming more destructive and more frequent, and the data shows certain communities are hit harder than others Watch an interview about how it's affecting people with disabilities.
• Voting Barriers: A recent survey found that people with disabilities continue to face challenges voting. Learn about what some of the barriers are.
• Unique Duo: Neighbors in Greenfield don't let having Down Syndrome stop them from living successful lives. Read about these inspiring young women.
• The CARE Act: Organizations advocating for older adults and people with disabilities are hoping to build new support for a bill that would require Wisconsin hospitals to communicate with a patient's family caregivers. Find out more about this bill.
• Take Survey: The University of Kansas is seeking participants to take the 2023 National Survey on Health and Disability. Take the survey today!
• Actress Calls for Sub-Minimum Wage to End: Actress Selma Blair recently said sub-minimum wage is "out of touch and wrong." Listen to the interview.
• Updated Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: Updated Web Content Accessibility Guidelines were recently released. Find out what is new.
• America's Long-Term Care Crisis: Long-term care systems are in crisis. Learn about steps that could be taken to improve the systems and ease the strain on the federal budget.
• Proclamation: December 1st was International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Read the proclamation from the White House to learn about what this day is meant to celebrate.
• Request for Public Comment:  The Department of Health Services (DHS) has revised the Wisconsin Medicaid Standards for Certified 1-2 Bed Adult Family Homes The public comment period is open until January 31st.
• New Version of Disaster Course: FEMA released an updated version of its training course on Including People with Disabilities in Disaster Operations. Learn more about this course.

Upcoming Events 

Here's a sample of upcoming events listed on the Self-Determination Network:

• ADA Year In Review With Q&A: December 21st, 9a.m. to 10a.m., Virtual
• 2024 National Self-Direction Conference: March 14th-15th, Marriot Waterfront, Baltimore MD

Post your event on the Self-Determination Network and it can be included in future Network News emails to members! Questions? Suggestions?  Contact Stacy Ellingen. 

The Self-Determination Network is powered by InControl Wisconsin and supported financially by our members and Sponsors. We couldn't keep this Network going with you!  Find out how you can help support the Network.

• The difference between disabilities and access and functional needs. 
• FEMA’s actions supporting the integration of people with disabilities in disaster operations and ways to shorten the disaster cycle for them. 
• The differences between equity and equality.
• Ways to ensure terminology is in alignment with the needs of people with disabilities. 
• Messaging to ensure inclusivity and accessibility to all emergency managers.
• Guidance to FEMA staff on how to ensure physical, program, and communication access to the whole community.

The Department of Health Services (DHS) has revised the Wisconsin Medicaid Standards for Certified 1-2 Bed Adult Family Homes as part of a range of initiatives funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act. 

You’re invited to review and comment on these updated standards (PDF). These standards help protect and promote the health, safety, and welfare of people who live in these locations.

The standards are being revised to:

• Clarify roles and responsibilities.
• Enhance health and safety provisions.
• Standardize reporting criteria.
• Include home and community-based services settings rule requirements.

Managed care organizations, county human services agencies, and the IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) program use these standards to certify 1-2 bed adult family home providers. Providers must be certified under these standards to get Medicaid reimbursement.

Submit your comments by January 31, 2024. You can:

• Email your comments to DHS at dhsltcpubliccomment@dhs.wisconsin.gov.
• Mail your written comments to the address below:

Division of Medicaid Services
Bureau of Programs and Policy
Attn: Public Comments–Wisconsin Medicaid Standards for Certified 1-2 Bed Adult Family Homes
PO Box 309
Madison, WI 53701-0309

You can get a paper copy of the updated standards sent to you in the mail. To request this, call 877-498-9525.

December 1st is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. It's a day meant for the world to recommit to building where disabled people everywhere are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve and are afforded an equal shot at achieving their dreams.

Read the proclamation from the White House 

Flight delays. Car accidents.  Long lines for the checkout at the grocery store. Traffic jams on a busy highway. Noisy neighbors. Delays in processing orders. Not getting responses to important emails in a timely manner. What do all these things have in common? They are things that people can’t control. Obviously, there are millions of things in life that people have no control over. In many cases, people try to intervene to make whatever it is work for them, but there are several things that we, as humans, ultimately can’t control. Depending on the circumstances, things that are out of our control can evoke a gamut of emotions. Frustration, sadness, fear, anxiousness… the list goes on and on. People have different reactions to circumstances that they can’t control. Some people get really mad and distraught; while others are more rational and can understand that it is what it is. People who have disabilities are no different. We encounter many things that are out of our control—in fact, I’d argue that we face more things that are out of our control than the average person does.

“I can’t do anything about it” is a phrase my grandma always used to say when she didn’t like something or didn’t agree with a situation that was happening. We’d chuckle because she said it quite a bit and it became a bit of a game of guessing how many times she’d say it during a family gathering. As I get older, I think back and smile because she was right—there are so many things that we can’t do anything about. As I explained in past journal entries, right from the start, a fluke accident occurred during my birth that changed the trajectory of my family’s life forever. My parents and I didn’t have any control over what happened, but that mishap will affect our lives forever. When I was diagnosed with Spastic Athetoid Cerebral Palsy and my parents learned that I’d have uncontrollable movements, nobody could control that. I deal with those movements every hour of every day.

There are many other examples of things that people with disabilities simply have no control over. The overall long-term care system is probably the most prominent example. Of course, there are many different facets to this, and yes, we have some “choice”; however, ultimately, for many people, the government really controls our lives. When it comes down to it, the government decides how much care a person receives. Sure, we advocate and sometimes are able to get some more, but we really don’t have control over it. Same goes for things like financial limits. Yes, we have a choice whether or not to receive benefits; however, the limits make it nearly impossible to gain meaningful employment and still receive the crucial services that they need to survive.

Housing waiting lists are another thing that most people have no control over. Due to some changes that took place about two years ago, the apartment complex that I live in isn’t the best. Cops and paramedics are here multiple times a week, and getting a full night’s sleep is a rarity. Again, these things are completely out of my control, but they really affect me. I’ve been on the waiting list for another subsidized apartment complex for over a year. At one point in summer, I was at the top of the list and an accessible apartment was available, but then I got bumped out due to someone else needing the apartment because of a domestic violence situation. Of course, I understand why I was bumped, but my mom called about a month ago just to make sure I was still on the list, and we learned that I’m in the middle of the list. The Housing Authority has a weird way of prioritizing people. It’s another thing that is out of my control, but, yet, it really affects me.

Something else that affects me, but is out of my control is when my fiscal employment agency doesn’t pay my workers. This has happened very frequently in the last year. Each time a time period ends, I always approve the shifts right away. For whatever reason, we have had problems with workers not getting paid on multiple occasions. This is so incredibly frustrating because workers come to me, but there’s nothing I can do except for to continue to contact the fiscal agency. Recently, I’ve taken further action to hopefully mitigate this from happening so often, but, again, ultimately, as much as I’d love to, I can’t pay my workers when the agency messes up. Luckily, the workers I have now have been very understanding and patient, but I’ve lost workers in the past due to this. It’s unbelievably frustrating when there is nothing I can do about it.

I understand that there are millions of things that we have no control over. Admittedly, when so many things that are out of my control stack up, I lose patience. Thanks to counseling and supportive family and friends, I’m slowly learning how to be ok with things I have no control over. When things come up, I try to think of my grandma saying, “I can’t do anything about it.”  I should know grandmas always have the best words of wisdom!

***The views expressed here are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of InControl Wisconsin, the Network or any of our sponsors.

It's no secret that long-term care systems across the country are in crisis. This article explains a number of straightforward steps lawmakers, retirees, and young Americans can take to prepare for long-term care and ease the strain on the federal budget. 

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