The Arc of New Jersey Family Institute provides caregivers with the necessary resources and education to access the appropriate supports and services for their loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
|
|
Governmental Affairs Update |
|
In March, The Arc of New Jersey celebrated Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month with two big events. Self-Advocates from the New Jersey Statewide Self Advocacy Network (NJSSAN) met virtually with Department of Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman and Senate President Steve Sweeney. The Commissioner presented Self-Advocates with a proclamation from the Governor and the Senate President bestowed a legislative resolution. Both items highlighted Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and the event gave Self-Advocates the opportunity to interact with two very important policy makers. On March 25, representatives from The Arc of New Jersey were recognized on the Senate floor with a Joint Legislative Resolution, presented to our organization by the Senate President. The work of The Arc was praised by lawmakers as the resolution was presented. Board Member Pam Corrigan and her son Chris joined Executive Director Tom Baffuto and Governmental Affairs Director Sharon Levine at the State House to receive this honor. |
|
Rutgers Opens Adult Autism Services
Community Center
|
|
Rutgers has opened a new building to better serve adults with autism spectrum disorder through vocational and recreational programs, making it possible to expand existing programs to address a growing need in New Jersey, which has the highest autism rates in the country.
The Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services Community Center, a 10,000-square-foot facility on the Douglass Campus of Rutgers University-New Brunswick, is the first of its kind at a higher education institution in the United States. The $9.5 million project was financed with philanthropic funds.
The state-of-the-art building includes vocational, social and life skills teaching areas, individual and group training rooms, a professional kitchen, recreational and common spaces, offices and meeting rooms. The center more than doubles the capacity of programs to provide employment, job training, psychological assessment and other services to Rutgers students and adults with autism.
|
|
Special Education Webinar Series |
|
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Newsela Resources for Students
Monday, April 19th, 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Luci Cambria, Curricular Solution Architect at Newsela
Brad Deitch, Senior Partnerships Manager at Newsela
Newsela is an instructional content platform that aims to provide meaningful classroom learning for every student by sourcing authentic content and making it available at five different instructional levels. Newsela supports inclusive learning by making instructional content accessible to every learner and supporting a range of accommodations based on students’ individual needs. Learn about how Newsela has evolved to become even more equitable by achieving WCAG AA Compliance, the highest standard of web accessibility to meet the significant needs of students with visual impairments. Experience the expanded features that Newsela has to offer like Read Aloud capability for every piece of text and over thousands of articles now offered in Spanish at five different Lexile levels.
|
|
CSOC Updates Timeframes for Clinical Assessments |
|
The following message was distributed by PerformCare and the New Jersey Children's System of Care, and appears unedited.
Dear Providers:
Last month, CSOC and PerformCare updated the Timeframes for Clinical Assessments list, which is used as part of the Intellectual/Developmental Disability eligibility determination process.
The changes include the following:
- A general listing of licensed practitioner specialties that CSOC will accept assessments from.
- A clarification of age ranges – It has been simplified to under a year old, ages 12 months to 36 months, ages 4-5, and then age 5 and older.
-
What documentation is required – a Diagnostic Evaluation and an Adaptive Behavior Assessment – along with what documentation is helpful - Educational, Speech and Language, OT/PT and Psychological Evaluations.
Please note that additional evaluations and assessments may be required for an eligibility determination based on the documentation submitted.
If you have any questions on the I/DD eligibility determination process, please contact PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624.
Sincerely,
PerformCare and the New Jersey Children’s System of Care
|
|
 |
Young Athletes Program at Special Olympics New Jersey

The Young Athletes Program offers children ages 2 to 7 an introduction into the world of Special Olympics. Children can participate virtually or in person, and will practice building social skills, self-confidence, and sports-related skills like balance, jumping, and kicking.
Special Olympics New Jersey has been providing sports training and athletic competitions for children and adults with I/DD since 1969.
|
|
|
|
Care, Share, Aware: Virtual Resource Fair
Friday, April 16th, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
In addition to some family friendly activities, such as Zumba, Exploring Space, a Magic Show and The Lizards Guys, we will have presentations from Children’s Specialized Hospital, Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler, advocating for the child with special needs, Creative Communicators, Speech Pathologists, and SPAN, Parent Advocacy Network, to provide information about their services. You may need 2 devices (laptops, tablets and mobile phones) to participate in the simultaneously run activities in our breakout rooms.
The virtual event is free, but you must register, create your account, then go to program list, click Therapeutic, then Care, Share, Aware All Abilities Expo.
|
|
|
|
From Our Local Chapters of The Arc |
|
Virtual Teen Recreation with The Arc of Union County Family Support Services
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
The Arc of Union County Family Support Services is offering virtual recreation activities for teens 12-18 years old. The program will run every Tuesday and Thursday, and feature activities such as bingo, drawing, science labs, karaoke, and much more. Aside from the fun and interactive activities, this program offers a great opportunity for attendees to connect with friends and meet new people. For additional information about this program, please contact Samantha Wittaker at swittaker@arcunion.org or 908-518-0723.
Click the image to view the flyer for this program.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
‌
‌
‌
‌