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Do you know a consumer/peer leader who has been a leader in educating the public about   behavioral health (mental health and/or addiction issues)? If so, please help the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognize his/her accomplishments by nominating him/her for a 2011 Voice Award. This year, SAMHSA is putting special emphasis on the impact of trauma and the significant effects   it can have on individuals, families and friends, communities, and our Nation. Consideration is being given to consumer/peer leaders who have successfully advocated for the rights of trauma survivors and promoted the importance of trauma-informed care. Each year, the Voice Awards honor consumer/peer leaders whose exemplary leadership and  advocacy plays a vital role in raising both awareness and understanding of behavioral health problems. Specifically, these individuals have made outstanding contributions in all of the following areas:  Led efforts to promote the social inclusion of individuals with trauma histories and behavioral health problems;  Personally demonstrated that recovery is real and possible; and Made a positive impact on their community, workplace, or school. To nominate an eligible consumer/peer leader(s), visit the Voice Awards Web site at www.voiceawards.samhsa.gov. ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2011. Nominations are open to anyone and are free. There is no limit to the number of nominations an individual can submit. Self-nominations are welcome. The 2011 Voice Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, August 24 at Paramount Studios   in Hollywood, CA. Please consult the Voice Awards Web site for event updates and instructions on how to submit a nomination(s).

New York, NY — Eleigha Love, who describes her brain as a computer, and Jared Schmidt, a teenage sky diver, are the recipients of this year's $10,000 Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholarships given to two graduating high school seniors with documented learning disabilities (LD) who are pursuing undergraduate degrees. Anne Ford, Chairman Emerita of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), is a well-known philanthropist and author, who has been a long-time parent advocate for children with learning disabilities, starting with her own daughter, Allegra. The scholarship was created in 2001 by the NCLD board when Ms. Ford stepped down as chairman in honor of her service. In 2008, Allegra agreed to match the existing award, creating a second scholarship. Anne Ford and Today Show Host Al Roker presented the scholarships at this year's NCLD 34th Annual Benefit Dinner, emceed by Paula Zahn in New York City. Jared and Eleigha are two of more than 2.5 million students who are wrestling with learning disabilities. They are among the mere 64 percent of students with LD who graduate high school, and only 10 percent with LD that go on to a four-year college. "We received over 300 applications, and let me tell you everyone of them came from students deserving a scholarship," said Anne, handing out the awards to this year’s winners. “We hear so much about the challenges and struggles of students with LD, and it is so inspiring to see that so many are able to meet and surpass those challenges." "Our goal is to see every child with LD graduate from high school," said James Wendorf, Executive Director of NCLD. "We are still failing about 1 million children. We've seen graduation rates and classroom inclusion rise more than 15 percent over the past 10 years. But we need to continue to empower parents and teachers, reduce stigma among kids, and keep education funding on the top of the education agenda if we are going to see those numbers increase, not decrease." One of the biggest problems with learning disabilities is diagnosing them in time, before children get frustrated with the system. "To a child with learning disabilities, school can be a very isolating place, it can be a very frustrating place and frankly overwhelming," relayed CNN's Anderson Cooper at a recent NCLD lunch. "Too many kids with LD struggle to try and keep up with their peers and suffer from low confidence and self-esteem and lose their love of learning at a young age. It's hard to rekindle that once it's gone, which is why the work of this organization is so important."

Thresher and friend Larry Bissonnette, 53, who have been advocates for 10 years for people with autism and the disabled community at large, are about to get a new platform for spreading their can-do message: They're the focus of "Wretches and Jabberers," a documentary film opening next week in 40 cities that makes the point that "disabled" doesn't mean "dumb." "Wretches" is what they jokingly call themselves after picking up the term from another person with autism. To them, "Jabberers" are people who can speak.

Many praised the series for taking such a comprehensive look at autism. But not everyone was pleased with MacNeil’s reporting on the issue. In blog posts, comments and e-mails to PBS, self-advocates are chiding the veteran reporter, saying that their perspective was left out. What’s more, they are criticizing MacNeil for comments they say suggest that those with the disorder lack empathy and can be violent. “There’s always a problem when you talk about autism and do not include autistic people in the discussion,” says Ari Ne’eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, who suggests that the series featured “dehumanizing rhetoric” and language insinuating that people with autism are “violent and that we’re a burden on society.”

Last week several hundred disability rights advocates were on Capitol Hill to support the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act. The current version of the bill was introduced in February 2013 and would allow individuals with disabilities or their families to open a tax-sheltered savings account to pay for certain long-term expenses.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been widely celebrated for providing millions of disabled children with broader educational and life opportunities. This Note seeks to improve the implementation of the IDEA by questioning one of its key assumptions: that parents possess the tools to advocate for their children in special education matters. This Note argues that many parents need assistance to achieve optimal outcomes for their children because of the complexity of both the disabilities involved and the formal rules of the system itself. Several policy options are considered in the hope that local educational agencies will implement pilot programs to further explore the issue of external advocacy in special education.

As the world's leading autism researchers and advocates gathered at the International Meeting for Autism Research last weekend to share the latest discoveries about autism spectrum disorder, a strong theme emerged: Autism is growing up.

My twin boys, Alex and Blake, were about 7 weeks premature. Alex cried all the time. When Blake began to talk, he pronounced the letter "r" like the letter "w." Little did I know I would soon begin the journey of my life. I would cry oceans of tears for my children before I began a path of discovery that would forever change my life.

Susan contacted Wrightslaw in 2006. In an email she ranted (her words) about her children's school system. When she received our auto-response, she replied with "thanks for another door slammed in the face of my child." Then Susan received a personal reply from Pam Wright. Pam suggested that she stop playing the victim and do what was necessary to be an effective advocate for her children. And that's exactly what she did!

Hopefully this web site will  help you  to quickly grasp the basics of the law, explain my understanding of the philosophy driving that law, and help you attain basic skills that will enable you to be an equal member of the team directing your child's education. From my experience as a parent of children with disabilities, from many years of working with educators, and from experience as a volunteer parent advocate, I have  a fair amount of insight into the education process, and the advocacy tools that work. 

For the better part of a year, people who have speech impairment or loss, feared that a sudden, and painfully literal, reinterpretation of Medicare policy would diminish their abilities to communicate. Their advocates and the makers of communications devices also worried about how the changes might affect them.