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Click here for more information! You can also download the Support Broker Training Flyer or the Support Broker Memo!What is a Support Broker? Support Brokers assist participants and their representatives who are employers of staff wo work directly with persons with a developmental disability.What are Qualifications for Support Brokers? Is at least 18 years old Has received training to provide services to persons with developmental disabilities Is familiar with developmental disabilities services and resources available in Montana Has at least two years of experience providing assistance to persons with developmental disabilities Can pass a Criminal Background Check What Training do you Need?No cost training provided through The College of Direct Supports Two-day training streamed to sites across Montana.  A limited stipend for persons extended distances from training sites will be available on a case-by-case basis Why Be Certified?To be paid, the Support Broker must be certified by the State of Montana Developmental Disabilities Program (DDP). When:March 20-21, 2012Deadline for Application March 7, 2012Contact:Kathy ZeeckSelf-Directed Services Coordinator Phone: 406-444-5482Email: kzeeck@mt.gov

Info On SB 254, The Bill To Close Montana Developmental Center SB 254 creates a responsible process to shift services for people with developmental disabilities into community settings and close the Montana Developmental Center. This bill, sponsored by Sen. Mary Caferro would appoint two representatives of community providers, two parents or guardians of recently discharged residents from MDC, and advocates from MCDD and DRM to a committee to write a plan to close MDC that assures that services are appropriate, that the people are served, and the communities are kept safe.

The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act considers the issues of “self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life” for individuals with developmental disabilities. All of these values presume respect for people with developmental disabilities. Where respect is lacking, self determination and independence are often denied. Integration and inclusion without respect become merely symbolic. As we celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 2012, it is clear we have achieved much over the past 50 years, but we still have far to go before we can claim full success.

A major organizational change this week at the federal level could give significantly more voice to those working on developmental disability issues. The shift announced Monday creates a new Administration for Community Living within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The new entity will join together three existing bodies — the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, the Office on Disability and the Administration on Aging — under one umbrella to serve seniors and those with disabilities.

Justice For All, in partnership with Easter Seals, has retained/hired national polling firm Harris Interactive to conduct a survey about how family members are affected by developmental disability. Millions of American families today have someone in their family with a developmental disability; by taking part in this research you are helping raise awareness of the types of issues you and your family encounter.

Although there are a variety of school-based services available for children with learning, emotional, and social disabilities, one critical need often goes unfulfilled: providing guidance and strategies that instill self-advocacy.       Most students have only a superficial notion of the reasons they receive these special accommodations, and many children are completely uninformed. Resource teachers and specialists do not generally have the authority to label and enlighten students about their disabilities, the foundation for building self-advocacy. If children are to learn how to become better consumers of educational resources, especially as they grow older, someone must take the lead.      Parents of children with disabilities can fill this role by doing the following: Introduce children’s diagnoses to them in elementary school so that they can make sense out of their struggles Use a matter-of-fact tone of voice when explaining to children that they learn/behave/relate differently from other students and, therefore, need extra help to ensure that they can succeed just like their classmates Don’t leave out the disability label—such as writing disability, ADHD, or Aspergers Syndrome—since labels are a reality of their educational life Emphasize that the teachers and special staff at school who help them will be aware of this label and prepared to help in certain ways to make school a fairer place for them to learn and grow      It’s important to review with children the ways in which their school must provide special help and services. Emphasize that these accommodations are rules the school must follow. “You have the responsibility to do your best job, and teachers must follow the learning/behavior/friendship helping rules that make things fair for you,” is one way to put it. Explain how extra time on assessments, decreased homework, or social skills groups are examples of the helping rules that schools must follow. Discuss how there is a written promise called the individualized education plan (IEP), which includes all the helping rules and makes all of this clear.      Find child-friendly resources—such as books, websites, and videos—that explain in detail their specific disability and the ways other children have learned to cope and achieve despite these limitations. Use these materials as a springboard for deeper discussion about past times when their disability created significant stress or barriers to success. Reassure them that this was before their problem was known and that there is so much that can be done to build a plan for success now that it has been identified.      Point out that one of their most important responsibilities is to be able to discuss their disability with teachers and ask for extra help and accommodation when struggles are too great. Make sure that these discussions take place before middle school, when developmental factors make it harder to get such discussions started. Ensure that they know what practical steps are in their IEP at each grade so that they can respectfully remind teaching staff if necessary.      Having a disability is like having to wear glasses; students with glasses have accepted this fact as necessary to seeing clearly.

The Obama administration is coming out in support of a group of adults with developmental disabilities who say they’re being relegated to sheltered workshops even though they’re capable of working in the community. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in late April in a class action lawsuit pitting some 2,300 people with developmental disabilities against the state of Oregon. In the suit filed in federal court in January, residents with disabilities alleged that the state is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide supported employment services, which allow people with disabilities to work in the community. Now, the Justice Department is weighing in saying that limiting people with disabilities to sheltered workshops is no different than segregating them in institutions.

Click here for more information on this webinar! (PDF)Register for the webinar here!What:Continuing with the Strategies for Success Webinar Series, parents Jennifer Bertram (Meghan's mom) and Elizabeth Aquino (Sophie's mom) share their stories of how communication programs and technology such as the iPhone and iPad have helped them communicate with their non-verbal children. Our featured speaker, Cindy Cottier, a renowned speech-language pathologist and communications specialist, provides and in depth view of various communication tools and explains how the iPad is used as a communication tool for children and youth with epilepsy and other developmentally disabilities.• Hear Jennifer's amazing story of Meghan using her iPhone• Listen with delight as Elizabeth shares how the iPad has bonded their family closer together• Learn from Cindy the benefits of the iPad along with applications for varied levels of communication• Explore other tools, techniques and apps (free and low cost) that parents can useWhen:February 14, 201212:00 pm - 1:00 pm MSTContact:Valerie Hill Phone: 301-918-3728.Email: parentinfo@efa.org

Do you know someone who isn’t sure whether or not to pursue a medical diagnosis for a developmentally delayed son or daughter? According to the Centers for Disease Control, most children with autism are diagnosed after age 4.  Certain other developmental and learning disabilities are usually not diagnosed until a child enters elementary school.  These facts are puzzling, since it is well-established that early intervention leads to better outcomes for children with special needs. But there are many reasons why parents and physicians choose to delay diagnosis, even when a young child is delayed and has difficulty adapting to everyday life:

As the Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), I am absolutely committed to making our schools, communities, workplaces and neighborhoods more welcoming and inclusive for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I believe strongly in supporting approaches that shape attitudes by raising expectations, change outdated or broken systems, engender respect for all people and empower individuals with disabilities to pursue the lives they imagine for themselves. In order to determine the best path forward, ADD is currently embarking on a collaborative process to collect public input for our five year strategic plan through a series of meetings we are calling, “Envisioning the Future.”

The toolkit offers best-practice tools and information regarding specific medical and behavioral concerns of adults with IDD, including resources for patients and families. The website is divided into four categories: General Issues; Physical Issues; Health Watch Tables; and Behavioral and Mental Health Issues.