April 1, 2021
CP State News
On-time budget? April Fools! 
Extension of HCBS Appendix K Waiver Amendment
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved an extension of the OPWDD Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Appendix K Waiver Amendment. Among the provisions included in the Appendix K is the ability for services to be delivered using remote technology and for services to be delivered in alternate settings. 
The OPWDD Appendix K is an emergency preparedness and response waiver amendment to OPWDD’s HCBS Waiver. With this approval, OPWDD may extend the provisions of the Appendix K until six months after the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency.
Late budget = more time for advocacy
We've updated our one-click advocacy campaign to reflect the current budget negotiations.
Go to www.cpstate.org/advocacy to tell the Governor and your legislators to stand firm in their support for people with disabilities!
Schumer announces $35M for TCFD's Children's Specialty Hospital
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has announced a $35 million loan for The Center for Discovery’s (TCFD) first-of-its-kind Children’s Specialty Hospital in Rock Hill, New York, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program. The funding will allow for New York’s first short-term inpatient assessment program for children with complex conditions to begin construction, creating over 400 healthcare jobs and 150 construction jobs in Sullivan County while improving access to quality care and services for Upstate New York’s most vulnerable.
Updated OPWDD guidance: Training, Return-to-Work, Visitation
OPWDD has released the below updated guidance for providers regarding return to work and training and recertification:
OPWDD has released the below updated guidance for providers regarding visitation at certified residential facilities and return to in-person day services:
PBS: Relative invisibility makes for uphill battle to get COVID vaccines for Americans with I/DD
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities like Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism often have underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to COVID-19. Plus, many receive care in group living facilities, putting them at further risk. But despite the elevated risks for those with IDD, they face an uphill vaccination battle. Click here to view the story.
Annual Willowbrook lecture to be held on April 14
The virtual event, "Avoiding the Next Willowbrook: Lessons Learned about Activism from Parents," will be held Wednesday, April 14, at 6 p.m.
This online Zoom event presents experiences of parents whose children lived at the Willowbrook State School. Included is what happened to their children at Willowbrook and how the parents became activists participating in the events that led to the closure of the institution. Parents also describe a lifetime of activism and what might be helpful today to people with disabilities, parents, students and families. Zoom info will be provided upon registration.
Share your voice during Autism Awareness, Acceptance & Appreciation Month
OPWDD is asking "What is the one thing you wish people knew about autism?" as it features Voices from the Spectrum on its social media pages. You can participate and add your voice to other Voices from the Spectrum by sending your answer to communications.office@opwdd.ny.gov or by sharing your message on your own social media pages using the hashtags #VoicesFromTheSpectrum #AutismAwarenessMonth and #NYSOPWDD. 
They will also share messages with the Greater Capital Region Autism Society who is asking their community the same question this month and creating a digital quilt.
Let's put our stories out there this month so we can all benefit from the understanding and acceptance all people with autism need and deserve!
CP State hosting series on Individual Advocacy
CP State is proud to offer “Teena’s Trunk,” a series on Individual Advocacy presented by Teena Fitzroy. Teena is a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of six, who just also happens to have cerebral palsy.
Teena’s Trunk poignantly recounts Teena Fitzroy’s often funny, sometimes heart-breaking, personal journey. Audiences experience Teena’s struggles and successes in growing up while learning to live with a disability.
These sessions are free and open to everyone. The initial session is geared toward administration, but the series is great for family members and self-advocates, so please share this information widely in your communities.
Participants should email Tim Ferguson at TFerguson@cpstate.org for the seminar links. All sessions are on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. 
  • April 6: Teena’s Trunk for Admins
  • April 13: Teena’s Trunk for DSPs, Families and Individuals
  • April 20: Family Members with I/DD
  • April 27: Guardianship & SSI
  • May 11: Medical Advocacy.
  • May 25: Domestic Abuse