The Ally: Meaningful Moments and Making a Difference |
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| | These past two weeks, I've thought a lot about "meaningful moments." I've watched two moms make the most of every moment as they fought passionately and tirelessly to improve policies and change laws that affect their children and other families. I've wondered where those meaningful moments will lead them and what doors those moments will open for those two moms, their children and many others.
It was so hard to learn that Judy Heumann died. At that moment, time seemed to stand still. But then I thought about all the meaningful moments in her life and what she did with them. Because of her, the world is more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities, including my child.
There's much more to do. And people with disabilities risk losing some of the gains for which Judy fought hard. Let's make the most of our meaningful moments. Let's fight discrimination, demand inclusion and insist that efforts about people with disabilities be led by people with disabilities. | |
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| | [Top photo: Bailey Hill, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons] | |
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 | | | The Mississippi Division of Medicaid published its Intellectual Disabilities/Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) Waiver renewal for public comment on February 28, 2023. | | |
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 | | | March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. According to the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities ( NACDD): "The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness... | | |
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 | | | March is Women's History Month, and it heartbreakingly began with the death of Judy Heumann, "the mother of the disability movement." She was a significant impetus for every disability law we rely on today: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and... | | |
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 | | | This hour is open for any family member to drop in for all or some of the time to ask questions or get feedback about IEP issues and other school situations. We ask anyone who stops by to respect the confidentiality of the group and not share anything discussed in the group outside of the group. | | |
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 | | | Are you a parent or caregiver raising or raising a child aged 0-21 who has mental health or behavioral health challenges? Would you like to use your lived experience to help another parent who is on the same journey? Then being a parent peer supporter may be for you! | | |
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 | | | This group focuses on understanding current policy issues and also opportunities for leadership training graduates to serve on decision-making committees. Leadership training graduates are strongly encouraged to attend, but the meetings are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about policy. | | |
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 | | | This conversation is for anyone working with parents providing peer support to other parents in any system, such as Children's Services Directors, MAP Team Coordinators, Care Coordinators and Center Directors. | | |
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 | | | Recorded on March 7, 2023. | | |
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 | | | This toolkit is intended for providers and their partners serving children and youth with special health care needs and their families/caregivers. By partnering with and supporting these children and their families/caregivers, providers can reduce the heavy burden of emergency planning that often falls on families/caregivers. | | |
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