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“Despite some identified gains in disability rights, people with developmental disabilities continue to face considerable barriers to full integration, maximum independence and self-determination,” Jonathan Young, chairman of the National Council on Disability wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama that accompanies the report.

Directing one’s life is essential for experiencing self determination. People providing support have many questions about capacity and consent for people with intellectual and developmental disability and few resources to rely on. This presentation will outline the issues, and share resources developed by an with special focus on how to support people of all different abilities to find decision making solutions that support maximum autonomy, preserve civil rights and while providing people with support for decision making.

Click here to register!What:The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, in conjunction with the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics, the Harvard Law Project on Disability and the UNESCO Bioethics Chair American Unit, is proud to invite you, to join us on December 10th for a Symposium on Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Autism Research at Harvard Law School. The free event will run from 9 AM to 3 PM at the Harvard Law School campus, Hauser Hall, Room 105. Topics covered will include prenatal testing, community participation in research methodologies, appropriate and inappropriate intervention goals and much more. This symposium will serve a unique role in shedding light on ethics and values issues within the autism research community. By bringing together self-advocate and researcher participants, we hope this will serve as a starting point for meaningful dialogue between those conducting research on autism and the community of Autistic adults and youth. Confirmed participants include Administration on Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Sharon Lewis, ASAN President and IACC Public Member Ari Ne'eman, National Institute on Child Health and Human Developmental Director Alan Guttmacher, Harvard Law Professor Michael Stein, Paula Durbin-Westby, Emily Titon, Liz Pellicano, David Rose and many more.   This event is open to the general public without charge and is made possible by a grant from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities.When:Saturday December 10, 2011 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM ESTWhere: Harvard Law School, Hauser Hall Room 1051563 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02138 Contact: Ari Ne'eman Autistic Self Advocacy Network 202.596.1056 info@autisticadvocacy.org

The Gallatin Valley Resource Guide for Parents of Children with Disabilities is a reference source that has been created for parents and those who serve children with developmental delays and disabilities age birth to 18 in Gallatin County, specifically Bozeman and Belgrade.  The guide contains over 250 resources for parents of children with disabilities, 95 specific to Gallatin Valley and an additional 58 unique to Montana. This guide was created by me as a final project (May 2011) for a Master’s of Science degree in Health and Human Development at Montana State University.  The internet version of the guide will be maintained by the Bozeman chapter of the Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA). PLUK has been included as a resource.  It would be most appreciated if you could include a link to the guide on your webpage.  The Resource Guide can be downloaded at: http://www.bsd7.org/district/departments/special_education/documents/Gallatin%20Valley%20Resource%20Guide.pdf    Thank you for your assistance in providing this information to parents of children with disabilities.

On November 9th MDSC will be hosting a Special Presentation of Mel Brooks’ The Producers at Missoula Children’s Theater. The director of the play is a New York Broadway producer; how exciting to have him in Missoula and for our performance! The evening will begin at 6pm with hors d’oeuvres and a hosted beer and wine bar. There is a wonderful silent and live auction ~ Mayor John Engen is our auctioneer.   MDSC just celebrated our 20th Anniversary of supporting adults with severe developmental disabilities. Services include residential, vocational, daily living skills training, medical, community integration, recreation, and transportation. Tickets are $50.00 for one or $90.00 for a pair. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Just six treatment sessions designed to help moms of kids with developmental disabilities manage their stress can go a long way toward reducing depression and anxiety, researchers say. Parents of children with developmental disabilities often experience greater stress than moms and dads of typically-developing kids. Nonetheless, most interventions target the needs of their children with disabilities exclusively. Now, researchers say more attention ought to be paid to the unique needs of these parents. In a trial of two treatment programs, Elisabeth Dykens of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development and her colleagues found that weekly sessions with trained peer mentors could help moms conquer their stress and, in turn, interact more constructively with their children with disabilities.

Easter Seals is excited to share these findings from our national study about the challenges facing families affected by disability -- needs for employment, housing, transportation, social interactions, recreation, healthcare and financial security -- the basics of daily life. We hope you find this compelling information helpful. These findings will be used to raise awareness of and advocate for the life-long services families desperately need -- working to lessen these disparities and bridge the gap for the many people living with developmental disabilities.

aster Seals is excited to share these findings from our national study about the challenges facing families affected by disability -- needs for employment, housing, transportation, social interactions, recreation, healthcare and financial security -- the basics of daily life. We hope you find this compelling information helpful. These findings will be used to raise awareness of and advocate for the life-long services families desperately need -- working to lessen these disparities and bridge the gap for the many people living with developmental disabilities.

This project explores the life stories of thirteen leaders in the self-advocacy movement and their perspectives on key issues and leadership challenges. Part of the broader disability rights movement, the self-advocacy movement is unique in that it has been led and informed by the individual and collective experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Despite its widespread existence nationwide and internationally, few works have explored the rich history, culture, and significance of the self-advocacy movement. To help fill this void, Joe Caldwell, Ph.D., Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, undertook this life history project and donated transcripts to The Bancroft Library for its Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement collection. More about Self-Advocacy Movement oral history project.

TRENTON — To create more housing for people with developmental disabilities, matching funds will be available for 12 municipalities that are committing a combined $5.1 million to the effort.

A little remarked upon requirement in the health law expands treatments for people with cerebral palsy, autism and other developmental disabilities. But some advocates and policy experts are concerned that insurers may find ways to sidestep the new requirement. The health law requires that individual and small group plans sold on or off the health insurance marketplaces cover 10 essential health benefits, including “rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices.”

Agenda: Developmental Disabilities Services Who is eligible for Developmental Disabilities Services? What about youth with higher IQ’s but with substantial support needs? How and when do you access this system? What services are available? What happens to youth who receive Children’s Developmental Disabilities services when they leave High School? What is the waiting list? What do we do while we are waiting? What have other families done? Private Pay Options Using Social Security Work Incentives to support employment