February 4, 2022 | Issue 12 | |
Disability Rights NJ is Hosting FREE Special Education, Transition and School Discipline Legal Clinics
- Do you need help getting special education services in school?
- Do you have an IEP and need help preparing to go on to work or college?
- Do you get in trouble at school because of your disability?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, register for one of our Special Education, Transition, and School Discipline Legal Clinics.
Tuesday, March 8 - 4:30-7:30 pm
Trenton Free Public Library
Saturday, March 12 - 10:30am-1:30pm
Lawrence Public Library
Sign up for a free 20-minute consultation with an education attorney. Receive information about special education rights, how to access them, and explanation of your next steps.
Due to limited capacity, these clinics are intended to serve clients with limited transportation and/or technology who need in-person consultations to access services.
Registration form required and deadline to register for a slot is March 1, 2022.
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Upcoming Events:
Thursday, February 3, 9-3:15 PM 2022 NJ AT Vendor Expo
Tuesday, February 8, 7-8:15 PM
Compensatory Ed & the Pandemic: Rights & Considerations hosted by The Alliance of Private Special Ed Schools of North Jersey Register here
| Link to More News and Updates | |
Deadline for Compensatory Education Claims Approaching | |
Without question, the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented educational challenges for students with disabilities since March 18, 2020. Many of those students experienced missed or delayed special education services. Even those who received services might not have received them in a way that was appropriate for them. For example, students with attention difficulties could not benefit from virtual instruction that required a lot of focus and redirection.
The IDEA, the federal law that requires appropriate special education services, allows you to seek compensatory education which are additional services to make up for the loss of appropriate services. The time limit for seeking compensatory education is two years from the date the loss of appropriate services happened. You cannot seek compensatory education for any loss of appropriate services that occurred beyond two years ago, not even one day.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic closed NJ schools on March 18, 2020, the deadline for filing for pandemic-related compensatory education is March 18, 2022, less than two months away. If you still want compensatory education, you should file no later than March 18, 2022, so that you do not lose the right to pursue such services.
If you have any questions, contact us at intakeunit@disabilityrightsnj.org.
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Black History Month
As we mark the beginning of Black History Month, we celebrate the extraordinary impact of the Black community, while also recommitting ourselves to the work required to address the enduring, systemic challenges people of color face in our society. We also want to take this time to recognize the remarkable contributions of past and present Black disability rights advocates making an impact in their communities and working towards a more inclusive world. #DisabilityRightsinBlack
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COVID-19 Vaccination Locations for
Children 5-11 Years Old
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In November, the CDC approved the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5-11 year old.
There are approximately 28 million children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old in the United States, and there have been nearly 2 million cases of COVID-19 within this age group during the pandemic. COVID-19 can make children very sick and cause children to be hospitalized. In some situations, the complications from infection can lead to death.
Children are as likely to be infected with COVID-19 as adults and can:
- Get very sick from COVID-19
- Have both short and long-term health complications from COVID-19
- Spread COVID-19 to others, including at home and school
Widespread vaccination for COVID-19 is a critical tool to best protect everyone from COVID-19 and COVID-19 related complications.
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Your Input Is Needed: Equitable Access to SSA Disability Programs for LGBTQIA+ Communities | |
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The next SSA National Disability Forum (NDF), Equitable Access to SSA Disability Programs for LGBTQIA+ Communities, is scheduled for Thursday, February 17, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET. In preparation, SSA NDF is gathering information from diverse stakeholders related to the forum’s topics.
SSA NDF has created questions that focus on important topics, such as the current challenges to access healthcare and SSA programs, issues with self-attestation of sex and gender markers, and data collection on sex and gender. They would like to hear from you, through Engage SSA site, about the challenges the LGBTQIA+ community faces and possible solutions.
If you have any questions, contactOEA.Net.Post@ssa.gov.
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Careers at Disability Rights NJ
A career at Disability Rights NJ is an opportunity to do meaningful work with a significant impact on the human, legal and civil rights of people with disabilities.
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Disability Rights New Jersey, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to advancing and protecting the human, civil, and legal rights of people with disabilities. | | |
- We aggressively investigate reports of abuse and neglect wherever a person with a disability may be receiving services.
- We thoroughly monitor facilities and community-based programs to ensure that people living in those facilities and using those services are free from abuse and neglect, and that their rights are not violated.
- We provide legal representation, without charge, to people with disabilities in cases that fall within our priority setting process.
- We are dedicated to providing education, training, and technical assistance to people with disabilities, their families and advocates, the agencies that service them, and policy makers among others.
- We provide state-of-the-art access to information and advice about assistive technology.
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Disability Rights NJ is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services - Center for Mental Health Services; Administration for Community Living - Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Center for Integrated Programs, through the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, U.S. Department of Education: Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the Social Security Administration | |
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DISABILITY RIGHTS New Jersey | disabilityrightsnj.org
210 South Broad Street, Third Floor
Trenton, New Jersey 08608
1.800.922.7233 (in NJ only) 1.609.292.9742 (Voice)
1.609.777.0187 (Fax) 1.609.633.7106 (TTY)
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