Fall 2021 News & Updates!

Fall 2021

The Arc Rhode Island News & Updates

Fall is Here!

And, just like that, Summer has come and gone!

As we are finishing up our first month back to school this year, it is important to reflect on all that we have overcome with everything going on! Times may feel stressful as this school year looks much different than most and many children are still getting back into the routine of in-person learning. Now that the school year has started our K-12 Special Education Advocates have been very busy working with families and children to ensure they are getting the appropriate and fair education they are entitled to in RI schools. Some children are having a tough time making the transition back to school this September and by working with schools and families we have been able to secure additional supports for them.

For those who recently graduated, entering their senior years, or are still struggling to figure out a path for themselves, the pandemic continues to make big questions more difficult: What do they really want to do? Are they prepared for employment, college, or vocational schooling? How do they decide?

The Arc Rhode Island is launching an exciting menu of transition coaching, and life planning workshops for teens and families who will work together to discover all the opportunities that await our Rhode Island teens and young adults! If your family and teen need direction, a plan with solid expectations, and a positive path to independence, call our office.

And, of course, our ever-popular Circles of Connections keep growing. A Dad's group will be starting soon and our teen social skills group is expanding too! Currently, over 70 individuals and family members participate in our online social groups - and a few were able to meet in person this past summer.

If you are interested in joining an online circle of support and meeting great friends please visit our website here to learn about our Circles of Connections program.

Enjoy the beautiful weather with all your family & friends at this start of the Fall season and stay tuned for The Arc Rhode Island's events and workshops!

Joanna

Visit our Website

Upcoming Webinars

#FreeBritney: Lessons for People with IDD and Their Families

Britney Spears’ public battle over her conservatorship is shining a light on some of the broader challenges that people with disabilities face under guardianship. Our upcoming webinar will describe some of the issues being highlighted in the media, how they might apply to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and alternative approaches that individuals with IDD and their families might consider.

Supported Decision-Making Webinar Series

with National Expert

Jonathan Martinis

Disability Rights Rhode Island is partnering with Jonathan Martinis in offering 5 dynamic webinars on the practical application of Supported Decision-Making.

The series begins on Thursday, October 28th at 6:00 pm.

Five (5) Dynamic SDM Webinars

Session 1 - October 28th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Supported Decision-Making:

From Justice for Jenny to Justice for All

This session will introduce the audience to the theory and practice of Supported Decision-Making (SDM). When people with disabilities use SDM, they work with friends, family, and professionals so they can understand their choices and make their own decisions. As a result, SDM can help people be self-determined, have better life outcomes, and avoid unnecessary guardianship!

Session 2: November 16, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Education, Employment, and Independent Living: Supported Decision-Making in Special Education

This session will focus on strategies for maximizing the supports and services available in Special Education programs.

We’ll focus on best practices in areas designed to empower and enable students to succeed in school and beyond, including the Student-Led IEP, “I Statement” IEP Goals, and effective Transition Planning. Using SDM, students, families, and teachers can work together to maximize student achievement and potential!

Session 3: December 2, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Education, Employment, and Independent Living: Supported Decision-Making in Vocational Rehabilitation

This session will focus on strategies for maximizing the supports and services available in Vocational Rehabilitation programs.

We’ll focus on best practices and practical tips to help people with disabilities maximize their potential for independent employment and living, including Pre-Employment Transition Services, effective Individualized Plan for Employment services, and Benefits Planning. Using SDM, people with disabilities and their counselors can design truly individualized plans, leading to people getting jobs that fit their skills and interests!

Session 4: January 6, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Education, Employment, and Independent Living:

Supported Decision-Making in Health Care and Life Planning

This session will focus on strategies and practical tips for maximizing independent living supports to help people lead their best, most independent lives.

We’ll focus on best practices in areas including Informed Consent, Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment, Person-Centered Planning, Centers for Independent Living, money management, and ABLE Accounts. Using SDM, people with disabilities can plan for and access the supports they need throughout their lives!

Session 5: January 27, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Bringing it All Together:

The Culture of Coordinated Support Model

Too often, services for people with disabilities are "silo-ed" – agencies, organizations, and providers focus only on what they do and do not communicate or collaborate with others providing similar supports. As a result, people with disabilities can receive ineffective, redundant, or even contradictory advice and support.

This session will demonstrate ways to create and implement effective and efficient support plans and services. Using the Culture of Coordinated Support Model, based on SDM, people can improve their services and ensure that providers work together, allowing them to specialize in the areas where they perform best - so people and providers can do better work in less time, with less effort and waste of resources.

More info to come closer to the date of presentation.

S.E.A.T

Summer Educational Advocacy Training

This Summer we held a 7 part training series called S.E.A.T (Summer Educational Advocacy Training) through our Powerful Informed Parent Advocacy Program! Over 160 parents, educators, and professionals working in the disability services area attended one or more sessions of our online series.

For the 2nd year in a row, Powerful Informed Parents has been brought to families of both children and adults with disabilities through funding from The RI Developmental Disabilities Council.

Thank you to all speakers and all who attended our sessions! Many have asked for the recordings and we have made them available on our utube channel. Becoming confident in advocacy and policy change improving our education and service delivery system is important for

You can find recordings of each session HERE.

Visit our Youtube Channel

The Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council believes that people with developmental disabilities should fully participate in community life. Men, women, and children should be able to enjoy family life. Children and adolescents should go to school. Adults should work. All should have decent homes, have friends, and live as independently as possible.

People With IDD, DSPs

May Qualify For COVID-19

Vaccine Boosters

by Michelle Diament

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s endorsement of a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for certain Americans means many people with developmental disabilities are now eligible for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

After significant wrangling, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said last week that her agency would recommend that a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine should be given to people ages 65 and older, residents of long-term care settings like institutions,

and people ages 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions.

In addition, the CDC said that people ages 18 to 49 with underlying medical conditions as well as those “at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because

of occupational or institutional setting” may receive a booster “based on their individual benefits and risks.” The third dose is to be given at least six months after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The recommendation references a CDC list of underlying medical conditions that are associated with a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, one of which is Down syndrome.

In addition, the document notes that “people with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to have chronic health conditions, live in a congregate setting, and face more barriers to healthcare. Studies have shown that some people with certain disabilities are more likely to get COVID-19 and have worse outcomes.”

Read Full Article

COVID-19 Materials for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Care Providers

COVID-19 is challenging to explain, live through, and communicate about. The materials on this page were created to help make communicating about COVID-19

a little easier. Choose from videos, posters, social stories, and interactive activities to best meet your communication needs.

These materials (also available in Spanish) will cover 5 basic topics: getting the COVID-19 shot, washing your hands, getting a COVID-19 test, as well as wearing a mask

and keeping a safe distance until you have gotten your shot.

Read Full Article

Back To School Roadmap

The Biden Administration has developed a Return to School Roadmap to support educators, school leaders, parents, families, and communities to lead students on a path to return to in-person learning this fall, where they are safe and supported. The Roadmap contains three “Landmark” priorities for each school, district, and the state as they work to reengage students and bring them back into classrooms:

Prioritize the health and safety and of students, school personnel, and families
Build school communities, and support student’s social, emotional, and mental health
Accelerate academic learning

Each landmark contains many resources, including Strategies for Using American Rescue Plan Funding to Address the Impact of Lost Instructional Time, and field-based

examples to support educators, school leaders, parents, families, and

communities as students return to school this fall.

Announcements from

The Arc of the United States

The Arc Recognizes Corporate Disability Champion Sephora with The Catalyst Award

The Arc Recognizes Neli Latson and Lisa Alexander with The Catalyst Award

Federal Court Blocks Iowa’s Law Banning Masking Requirements in Schools

What Educators Can Do to Help Students Boost Focus in

Return to In-Person Learning

Educators can offer a variety of strategies and tools to elementary students to help them reengage in classroom learning and strengthen their focus when they feel overwhelmed by stimuli around them, occupational therapist Lauren Brukner writes for Edutopia.

Some of these strategies can incorporate physical and sensory activities, such as children giving themselves a hug across their back or their knees. Others include having Velcro or string placed throughout the room so students can have something tactile to touch while working.

Read Full Article

Call The Arc Rhode Island to learn about providers

who offer services and supports in:

Childhood and Adolescent Issues
Behavior and Anger Management
Relationship Issues
Stress Reduction

Self-Harming Behaviors
Group, Family, and Couples Therapy
Grief & Trauma
Substance Abuse
Mood Disorders

If you need assistance with understanding the Special Education process, Requesting Evaluations, need a Referral to an Expert

or you are concerned about your child struggling in school -

Call our Educational Advocacy Program at

401-363-9899

or email us: scocchi@thearc.org

Spotlight On:

Circles of Connections

Circles of Connections was awarded a $30,000.00 Grant from the Rhode Island Foundation- Special Medical Program. Taking our experiences, successes, and learnings of implementing last year’s pilot program Circles of Connections, an online support system for individuals with special medical needs, will promote the goal to end social and emotional isolation some experience across their lifespan and more importantly most are facing during our current shared life experiences of living through a pandemic.

Circles of Connections began September 1, 2020. We currently serve 50 individuals with special medical needs or their loved ones who care for them providing them with support, learning opportunities, and the opportunity to meet people that they would not have ever met to end the social and emotional isolation.

New Circles Dads Group!

Dad's Rock Group announced!

Michael Matracia current Chairperson of the Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council and a Providence Police Officer will be hosting this new Circles of Connections, online group, on Wednesday at 3 pm. If you are a dad and are looking for support and encouragement with raising your special needs child, young adult, or adult this group is for you!

The Arc Rhode Island and the RI DD Council are pleased to announce a collaboration that will forge a new path for family advocacy in the state of RI.

Chris Semonelli current Chairperson of the Family Advocacy Group states:

”Moving forward we will create a large emphasis on much more family involvement.” He goes on to say, "This new collaboration with The Arc Rhode Island will solidify a strong independent voice that all of our existing and future families so rightfully deserve.”

RI FORCE is supported by The Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities. It is the Advisory Council to The Arc Rhode Island and is a platform for support, information and resources for family advocacy.

Ready, Willing & Able.

Why It Pays to Hire People with Disabilities

Americans with a disability are the largest underemployed and underrepresented group in the country. 1 in 4 adult Americans – 61 million people – live with a disability, and experience unemployment rates nearly double the general population.

Across all age groups and education levels, people with disabilities are much less likely to be employed than those with no disability.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic:

The employment gap between people with and without disabilities

was a staggering 47%

Only 19.3% of people with disabilities were in the workforce

Compared to 66.3% of people without a disability.

As a country, and the world’s leading economy, can we accept a 47% employment gap? Can we afford to let the talents of more than 61 million Americans go untapped?

RIFORCE a platform for family voices to be heard & mobilizing advocacy initiatives

RIFORCE WEBSITE

RESOURCE LINKS

Updates from the Department of Behavioral Healthcare Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals

Developmental Disability News by Gina Macris

The Arc of The United States National Updates

Wrightslaw Special Education

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