MDOD Logo with MD flag design above
MDOD Newsletter                                                                         April 30, 2020
Celebrating Healthcare Heroes May 2nd!
Word cloud _Thank you_ in variety of languages


Saturday is #HealthcareHeroes Day in Maryland.  We want to celebrate the #HealthcareHeroes making a difference in the disability community.  Many places are lighting up blue to honor these heroes including Government House, M&T Bank Stadium, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards!  Look up to the sky during the day on Saturday as the US Navy's Blue Angels fly over Maryland to honor our Healthcare Heroes!  

Do you know someone we should celebrate?  A Direct Support Professional, a Nurse, CNA, Attendant Care professional??  Let us know by sending an email to info.mdod@maryland.gov.  

MDOD named SSI Youth Solutions 
Initiatives Award  Recipient   
  ODEP Office of Disability Employment Policy with logo of 3 star cartoon people on light blue ribbon.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced funding awards under its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Youth Solutions initiative, which aims to identify and evaluate strategies for improving employment outcomes for young adults from ages 14 to 24 who apply for or receive SSI.  MDOD is one of the twelve recipients receiving the award.  Jade Gingerich, Employment Policy Director at MDOD, is the lead on this project.

The award recipients, including MDOD, will draft their policy ideas this spring and will produce final papers for ODEP and present their recommendations at a conference in Washington, D.C., in early 2021. 

For more information, read ODEP's press release on the awards. 

State Disabilities Plan

         Four blue squares with white stick figures.  First wheelchair_ second outline of  brain_ third person using cane_ fourth two hands signing         

Did you know there is a State Disabilities Plan? The State Disabilities Plan and its annual update, the Annual Progress Analysis, track Maryland progress in coordinating services for people with disabilities.

Accessible communication is critical to seamless service delivery. For the past three years MDOD has been tracking accessible communication as it relates to emergency preparedness.  Our staff is working with MD Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and MD Department of Health (MDH) to coordinate accessibility in all aspects of the state's COVID-19 response. 

The current State Disabilities Plan is available on our website as well as the 2019 Annual Progress Analysis.  

MACIL hosting Judy Heumann event
Head shot of Judy Heumann.  She is wearing pink and black shirt and glasses.  
Need a break from the quarantine or working at home?
 
Join The Maryland Centers for Independent Living on May 20 at 2pm, as they host Judy Heumann reading from her new book, Being Heumann - An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist. There will also be time for Q&A!  
 
You must register in advance and there are limited spots, Judy Heumann event.  

Maryland Health Exchange deadline extended until June 15th!
Green and blue letters with 4-petal flower logo words _Maryland health Connection_  
Need health insurance?  The Maryland Health Connection is having a special enrollment period from now until June 15th.  For more information, visit their website