SPRING 2011
The Federal Budget and Winning the Future for People with Disabilities; Fiscal Year 2012. This article out lines how the Federal Budget is working to assist people with disabilities. Some of the provisions include an increase of funding for the education of children with disabilities. The budget includes a $200 million increase as well as a $50 million increase for the Infants and Families Program for high quality education and assistance. To help encourage workforce innovation, the budget includes $380 million to the Department of Education and Labor to support reforms of the workforce system. Also provided is $24 million to the Department of Labor for the Disability Employment Initiative, which awards grants to build the capacity of one-stop career centers. Grants for Independent Living Programs are at $103 million. The issue of providing housing for people with disabilities is also addressed with $196 million ($104 million cut). This is to reflect a shift in funding to the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance. Included in the amount is $85 million to support existing units. In July of last year, the President signed an Executive Order to increase Federal employment of people with disabilities with funding through the Office of Personnel Management.
http://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USEOPWHPO/2011/02/15/file_attachments/16878/2012_Disability_Fact_Sheet.pdf?goback=%2Egde_1801055_member_43853763
In April, the Star Tribune ran a story about sensory friendly movie screenings for people with autism and their families. The movie theaters keep lights low (but not off) and the sound is maintained at a low volume so it’s not offensive. Two MN theaters are participating in this innovative endeavor; the AMC Theaters in Roseville and Eden Prairie. For more information, follow this link to the article:
The Autism Society also provides more information about dates, locations, etc. of the screenings:
On April 12, 2011, KARE 11 ran a story regarding the financial cuts that people with disabilities may face in the future. This story is part of another segment in the following KARE 11 video. For reference to this particular story, please advance 5 minutes and 33 seconds into the video. The video can be found through the following link:
http://www.kare11.com/video/newscasts/default.aspx#/10pm+Newscast/April+12%2C+2011+10pm+newscast/49501998001/49497128001/901895653001
On April 15, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a new initiative that will give all states more flexibility to provide home and community-based services for more people with disabilities. These proposed rules enable states with greater flexibility for their programs to help people with disabilities choose to live in their communities rather than in institutions. They will also allow individuals to participate in the design of their own services and supports, such as personal care. Please click on the following link for more information:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/04/20110414a.html
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has requested our help in getting the following message out to adult foster care providers:
The Division of Licensing Investigations Unit continues to receive reports where an individual receiving services developed a serious medical condition and/or died prior to receiving medical treatment. Staff persons attending to the individual did not obtain necessary medical care because they minimized the individuals’ condition or assumed it was behavioral. In these situations, staff persons delayed calling 9-1-1. In some circumstances, the delay was due to seeking permission to call 9-1-1 from an off-site supervisory staff person. Providers should institute endeavors to reduce the likelihood of such incidents. These may include:
- Develop and implement written policies and procedures, in conjunction with a health professional, that provide clear guidelines for staff persons to assess and identify situations where emergency medical attention should be sought.
- Authorize caregivers to call 9-1-1 without approval from a supervisory staff person or a facility health professional, when a medical emergency or a serious situation occurs.
- Ensure that staff persons are prepared to provide information regarding the individual’s history, medical conditions, medications, allergies, etc., to medical personnel so effective and timely treatment can be obtained.
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