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The Family Advocate
November 2016
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Governmental Affairs Update
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By: Sharon Levine, Director of Governmental Affairs & Communications
In October, The Arc of New Jersey supported a number of bills making their way through the legislative process. This included Assembly 926 which changes pejorative terminology referring to persons with certain disabilities or substance use disorders. The bill employs "person-first" language, to ensure that persons are referred to as having certain disabilities, rather than being defined by their disabilities. These proposed changes
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Stay up to date with what's happening! Save the Date and mark you
r
calendars for these upcoming events
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What's In Your Child's IEP?
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Responsible Use of One-to-One Paraprofessionals: Planning From the Start to Fade-Out Support
One-to-one paraprofessionals are often considered highly desirable in special education settings as a means of ensuring that a student with a significant learning, physical or behavioral profile will have more consistent access to an adult's attention, increased engagement and better access to the curriculum. Conventional wisdom would dictate that the provision of one-to-one support increases the likelihood that the student will make gains across all domains and provide a distinct academic advantage.
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The Arc of New Jersey's
Self Advocacy Project
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With support, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are empowered to make life decisions, such as where they will live, what sort of career they will pursue, and how their medical care will be directed. The New Jersey Self-Advocacy Project (NJSAP) is dedicated to assisting people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities gain the strength and support they need to successfully advocate for themselves and exercise greater control over their lives.
NJSAP works to fulfill its mission by:
- Conducting trainings and leadership seminars for self-advocates and advisors of self-advocacy groups across the state.
- Actively supporting the 150+ self-advocacy groups across the state.
- Conducting presentations to community groups, schools, and conference audiences.
- Educating state legislators and administrators regarding issues of importance to people with disabilities.
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Need a Speaker For Your Upcoming Meeting?
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Looking for a speaker to attend your next meeting, professional training day or parent group?
The Arc of New Jersey Family Institute is proud to offer workshops and seminars on a wide variety of topics.
Topics can include:
- Post Secondary Options for Students with Developmental Disabilities
- The Basics of an IEP
- Navigating the System (early intervention through adult services)
- The Keys to a Smooth Transition into Adult Life
- Public Policy and Advocacy: A How-to Guide for Families
- Promoting Self-Advocacy
- Overview of Developmental Disabilities
All workshops are customizable to fit your group's needs. Visit our
website
for more information.
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Where Will Your Child Transition This Month?
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Transitions from one life setting to another are challenging, complicated events for most people. However, these challenges may be magnified for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Each month we will share information about how you can help your loved one plan ahead.
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New Go Bag
Are you thinking about leaving money or property to your loved one with an intellectual and developmental disability? If so, you must plan accordingly. One way to avoid jeopardizing your loved ones SSI and medical benefits is by setting up a Special Needs Trust (SNT). The Arc of New Jersey Family Institute has created a SNT Go Bag to help you learn more about it and how to set one up!
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| Click on the picture to view the Go Bag. |
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Student Discipline Rights and Procedures: A Guide for
Advocates
Published by the
Education Law Center
, this manual is designed to help parents and advocates represent students in school discipline cases.
The manual is divided into two parts:
- Part I discusses laws and procedures that apply to all students involved in a discipline case.
- Part II discusses additional laws and procedures that apply to students with disabilities who are, or may be, eligible for special education.
The information provided in this guide should be used as a resource, and should not be taken as legal advice. If you have concerns regarding discipline a student received from a school, you should seek appropriate legal advice from a licensed attorney or other school personnel.
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Do You Need More Help Navigating the System?
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Are you a caregiver, individual or professional in need of help navigating the system? The Arc of New Jersey Family Institute can assist you regardless of the individual's age. Click HERE to submit a Problem Intake Form online or download the Problem Form HERE and email it to [email protected].
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Action Alert: DSP Workforce Shortage Crisis
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The Department of Human Services is working on determining funding priorities for Fiscal Year 2018. That means now is the time to weigh in with Commissioner Connolly about the issues impacting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
The most critical advocacy issue this year is the impact of the Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce shortage. DSPs are the individuals that work and support your loved one every day. DSPs are critically important to a successful life in the community for people with I/DD. But
our community is at a crisis point in the hiring and retention of DSP's. We must work together to get higher wages for our DSP's, and
the first step is for the Commissioner to hear from as many people as possible on this critical issue. Please take a few minutes to join us in advocating for additional funds for higher wages for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs).
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Join the Conversation Online
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The Family Institute:
Planning For Adult Life:
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County Roadmaps: Your map for county based resources
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T
he Arc of New Jersey Family Institute receives many phone calls from families looking for local resources. To help them
find
the necessary resources they need, we've created County Roadmaps. County Roadmaps are a list of local, age-based resources that families can download and utilize when navigating the system.
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Employment: How to Access Support Services
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The Arc, Ocean County Chapter Vocational Services
The Arc Vocational Services Department provides job training, employment opportunities and transportation to people with developmental disabilities. The goals of this program are to help individuals find productive employment, increase self-sufficiency and self esteem and provide valuable resources to the community.
The Arc Ocean's
vocational department provides a variety of services and supports within Ocean County. It has four Adult Training Centers and two Self-Directed/Fee-for Service programs providing community based job training. In addition, it offers an Arc Employment Center and Arc Cleaning Service, which provides janitorial services to businesses within the community. The programs provide customized schedules for individuals in a fee for service structure through either, the Supports Program or Self Directed Services.
Resources:
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The Arc of New Jersey Family Institute needs your help!
We are looking to expand our list of
support groups offered in New Jersey.
If you know of a support group that could offer help or guidance to i
ndividuals with a disability, p
arents, caregivers or s
iblings,
please click
HERE to submit your Support Group's information.
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Protecting Your Tax Records
As Hurricane Matthew pummeled eastern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, the IRS published IR-
2016-128 to show you how to protect tax records. And while you may not live in the affected states, it is still a good idea to make sure your tax records are protected in case of an emergency.
- Emergency Plans - Both individuals and businesses should have an emergency plan. For any number of reasons persons and businesses may need to evacuate. You should plan an evacuation route in the event that an evacuation order applies to you. Individuals could use a safe, safety deposit box or other method for secure storage of tax records. Businesses should maintain backups of important local network data offsite in order to facilitate recovery. Your emergency plan should be updated each year.
- Electronic Copies - Scan or save PDFs of your tax returns, financial statements, certificates and insurance policy declaration pages. Keep the electronic copy in a safe or safety deposit box. You may save electronic records to a USB flash drive, CD or DVD.
- Document Valuables - Photograph and retain records for all of your high-value items. These items may include jewelry, art or other collections. IRS Pub 584 gives suggestions on how to document these valuables. Photos are particularly helpful if there is a hurricane or other natural disaster that destroys property. In that case you will need to file an insurance claim and show evidence of the lost item.
- IRS Help - If you have questions or find yourself in an emergency situation, you may call 1-866-562-5227 to speak to an IRS Disaster Specialist. A taxpayer may request copies of prior IRS Forms 1040 with Form 4506, Request for Copy of Tax Return. Another option is the Get Transcript service on www.irs.gov. A third method is to call 1-800-908-9946 to request assistance in recovering your IRS documents.
Hopefully you never need to recover important documents due to an emergency but being prepared only takes a short amount of time and can make a big difference.
If you have any questions about the information provided or if you would like to talk about making a gift, please contact us at [email protected].
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Great Work Happening! There are a lot of changes taking place in the service systems for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Families need a place to go to get up-to-date, accurate information and assistance with issues and problems. That place is The Arc of New Jersey Family Institute.
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OUR SUCCESS
Each month more than 225 families and professionals contact The Arc of New Jersey Family Institute looking for information and assistance. Our dedicated staff make sure that they understand the system and get the help they need.
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OUR SERVICES
In addition to one-to-one advocacy, we offer a wide variety of resources for families caring for a loved one with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including: * Webinars * Podcasts * Fact sheets * Workshops * Trainings * Go-bags * Printed materials * and more!
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HELP US GROW THE ARC OF NEW JERSEY FAMILY INSTITUTE!
 Your donation to The Arc of New Jersey Family Institute will ensure this vital program will continue to help the thousands of New Jersey families struggling to care for their loved one with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Donate $100, $50 or even $25 to help make a difference today!
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Other Ways to Give
Do you shop on Amazon.com? Now those shopping trips can benefit The Arc of New Jersey all year round!
It's simple to set up.
- Log into your Amazon account through www.smile.amazon.com.
- When prompted, choose "The Arc of New Jersey Inc." as your charity of choice and Amazon.com will donate a portion of your purchase amount to us, at no extra cost to you.
You Can Also Donate Your Car!
Donate your car, van, truck, boat or recreational vehicle! You get a tax deduction and The Arc of New Jersey gets a donation. Simply click on the link below, fill out an online form and select The Arc of New Jersey as the donation recipient. Within 1-2 business days, a representative will be in touch to arrange for towing at no charge.
Learn More HERE.
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