Family Voices Indiana

Family Voices Indiana shares the following additional dates for Powerful Parents Meetings:
DDRS would like to reinvigorate the Power Parents work group in order to:Create a network of family contacts within the districtsShare information on available resources for families Make DDRS plans and initiatives transparent in how they affect your familyListen to how DDRS can make connections for your family needMeeting Dates
All meetings are from 6 to 7:30 pm local time unless noted otherwise. Meetings with fewer than 10 RSVP’s are subject to cancellation. Please check web page frequently for updates. Please e-mail your RSVP to PowerfulParents@fssa.IN.gov   by dates noted for each meeting.  The proposed waiver changes were submitted to CMS for review and are awaiting approval. Once the changes have been approved DDRS will reschedule the remaining Powerful Parents meetings and provide additional updates.

June 27 IndianapolisMulti-Service Room 3, in basement of Building 3 – Go to Information Des…

byKathleen Sebelius , US Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services  As I travel the country and visit people in their homes, schools, workplaces and health centers, I am reminded just how much our lives are shaped by the places we occupy.  Oftentimes, our opportunities are defined by the homes and communities in which we live.  Thirteen years ago, on June 22, 1999, people with disabilities moved closer to choosing where they live when the Supreme Court handed down the Olmstead v LC decision. This ruling established that people with disabilities have the right to live in the community with the proper services and supports, rather than being unnecessarily institutionalized.    Building on the President’s Year of Community Living, this spring the Obama Administration created the Administration for Community Living (ACL) at the Department of Health and Human Services, bringing together its experts charged with developing policies and improving supports for seniors as well a…

Family Voices Indiana shares that the ruling regarding the ACA has yet to be issued. In the meantime, we share this brief from Kaiser Health News.....
By Mary Agnes Carey KHN Staff Writer JUN 20, 2012 The Supreme Court is expected to rule within a week on some key constitutional challenges brought by states against the 2010 health care overhaul law. The decision will have sweeping ramifications for consumers, state officials, employers and health care providers, including hospitals and doctors. While some of the key features don't kick in until 2014, the still-controversial law has already altered the health care industry and established a number of consumer benefits. Here's an FAQ about some of the law's provisions that are already up and running as well as major features of what's to come, if the law stays in place. I understand that the Supreme Court is reviewing the health law. Will the ruling change my current insurance? The Supreme Court’s decision should have min…

APPLY NOW! National KASA Task Force applications are due: June 29th National KASA Board applications are due: June 29th
Are you interested in getting involved in the national disability youth movement? Are you between the ages of 12 and 24? Are you interested in learning how to inform youth about their rights, give peer-support and training, and to change systems to include youth voices? If you answered “YES” to these questions, Kids As Self Advocates (KASA) wants YOU!
National Kids As Self Advocates [KASA] has positions opening up on the Advisory Board and the Task Force. As a youth-led project National KASA offers opportunities to learn how a project can be led by young people with disabilities and to learn new skills, like how to have a say in what affects you!
The KASA Advisory Board and Task Force are two different kinds of leadership groups. - The National KASA Board plans activities, works on projects and makes decisions about the national KASA project. They are responsible for the K…

Family Voices Indiana encourages families to stay up to date with upcoming proposed changes to the DD waiver system. The most recent DDRS communication was a webinar hosted by ASI and IRCA.  The topic was: Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver – Q&A’s. The ultimate goals of the conversion of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities waivers to the Community Integration & Habilitation (CIH) waiver are to: 

• Provide the Family Supports Waiver (FSW) to more people,
• Enable families to intervene earlier in the care for their family member with a Developmental Disability, including Autism,
• More rapidly reduce the wait time to receive funding from the state for services upon diagnosis.

Questions were taken during the May 30th webinar hosted by the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Service (DDRS), Autism Society of Indiana, and Indiana Resource Center for Autism.

You can view the archived webinar here: https://autismindiana.webex.com/autismindiana/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=…