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In this Issue:
President's Message
Nationally, Waiting Lists For Waiver Services Growing
NJ Mom Starts Girl Scout Troop for Children with Special Needs
Proms For Those With Special Needs Expected To Draw 115,000
This is Where We Will Be...
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Dear Clients and Friends,
What a difference a month makes. Our lives have been turned upside down and we now have a different view of the world than we did just 30 days ago.
I've heard from many of you, with concerns and questions as to what's next. I find that our community has stuck together and are counting on each other.
We will take this one day at a time, continue to be diligent as we must, and I will pray for positive outcomes sooner than later.
I have received several questions in regard to the $1,000 check that might be coming from the government, especially if those are received by family members who
are receiving benefits. I have heard concerns that these funds may cause accounts to go over $2,000. I don't know how this will be viewed by Social Security and
Medicaid, so as a proactive approach, please make sure you have opened an ABLE account for your family member. Then, if this amount would bring your
Child's account to over $2,000, you can move any money over $2,000 to the ABLE account, if you are eligible.
We will continue to provide our monthly online Protected Tomorrows University classes. If you have time to listen to the prior classes while you are staying in place at home,
consider this an opportunity to do some planning. We look forward to helping you move forward and making progress during difficult times.
I wish everyone health and safe times. Please take care of you and your families.
Mary Anne Ehlert,
Founder & President
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Powered by Protected Tomorrows and presented by Mary Anne Ehlert, President and Founder of Protected Tomorrows, we are proud to offer you our fifth in a series of educational webinar classes:
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"The ABCs of Advocating for Your Child
"
April 29th, 2020
7:00pm - 8:00pm CST
An IEP is more than just a program for your child while in school. The IEP is a blueprint, or plan, for setting and achieving goals. We will work together and discuss how to be a strong advocate for your child and how to navigate through the tangled system of rules and regulations. Also join us for an interview with Shay Bieder from Integrated Touch for Kids to learn news ways to help our children cope.
Mary Anne Ehlert will host this free online Zoom webinar on April 29th, 2020 from 7:00 - 8:00 pm CST.
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Nationally, Waiting Lists For Waiver Services Growing
by Michelle Diament | Disability Scoop
The number of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the country who are on waiting lists to receive Medicaid-funded home- and community-based services is on the rise.
There were 473,000 people on waiting lists in 2017, some 49,000 more than the year before, according to an
analysis released Thursday by the ANCOR Foundation and United Cerebral Palsy.
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Known as the "Case for Inclusion," the annual report examines 58 measures to assess how well states are serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Click here to read more.
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NJ Mom Starts Girl Scout Troop for Children with Special Needs
A couple of New Jersey moms couldn't find a Girl Scout troop for kids with special needs, so they started their own.
The idea began six years ago when a little girl with autism wanted to join the Scouts.
"All these years later, who it was actually Kathy who reached out to me back then," said Karen Briegs, co-leader of troop #60561.
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Kathy Kafka of Hillsborough wanted to find a Girl Scout troop for her daughter Maya.
"As a mom with a girl with autism, it's important to me because it's something I enjoyed when I was Maya's age," said Kafka, who also co-leads the troop.
Click here to read more.
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Proms For Those With Special Needs Expected To Draw 115,000
Thousands of teens and adults with disabilities are set to dance the night away at a series of special proms all held on a single night at hundreds of sites around the world.
More than 720 churches on five continents will host the parties next week in advance of Valentine's Day.
The events are part of the Tim Tebow Foundation's annual "
Night to Shine."
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Open to people with special needs ages 14 and older, the proms typically feature hair and makeup stations, shoe shining, limousine rides, karaoke, dinner and a dance floor. There is a red carpet with "friendly paparazzi" and all guests with special needs are crowned king or queen of the prom. Click here to read more.
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This is Where We Will Be...
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