Family Voices Indiana

Family Voices Indiana is dedicated to serving families across Indiana. We recently hired two new specialists we'd like to introduce: Katie Flege-Friedericks and her husband Will reside in Indianapolis with their 4 year-old son Colin. Katie’s passion for helping others led her to pursue undergraduate degrees at Indiana University in Public and Nonprofit Management, serve two terms with AmeriCorps, and work in both the public and nonprofit sectors. A desire to empower communities by providing information resulted in Katie earning a Masters in Library Science from IUPUI, and she recently became a substitute reference librarian. When Colin was referred to First Steps for a speech delay and feeding difficulties at 18 months-old, their family began a journey that led to an autism diagnosis and navigating various therapies from speech and OT to PT and ABA. The family has been strengthened by their involvement in Colin’s cooperative preschool. They also enjoy spending time together b

On June 26, 2015, the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the Family Supports Waiver (FSW) renewal.  This followed the earlier approval of the division’s request to amend the Community Integration and Habilitation (CIH) Waiver. Both of the waiver documents are posted on the BDDS’ webpage.  For both waivers, as well as the Money Follows the Person-CIH grant (MFP-CIH), Extended Services has been added as a new service replacing Supported Employment Follow Along (SEFA), effective July 1, 2015. SEFA will no longer be offered on FSW, CIH or MFP-CIH effective June, 30, 2015.  Only those waiver participants engaged in competitive community employment and actively utilizing a combination of Supported Employment Follow-Along (SEFA) and prevocational services as of June 30, 2015 (as reflected in their ISP, approved CCB and NOA) may utilize the combination of Extended Services and prevoc

Understanding Developmental Disabilities.  Developmental disabilities  are a group of conditions with a  variety of causes that include language, behavioral, physical and mental impairments. About  15 percent  of children aged 3 through 17 years old have one or more disabilities that began during the developmental period of a child’s life and will usually last through their lifetime. Developmental disabilities are divided into  specific conditions , including:  Autism spectrum disorders , cerebral palsy, epilepsy,  Down syndrome  and others. These types of disabilities may cause  limitations in major life activities such as caring for oneself, learning or living independently. Kids with developmental disabilities experience delays in reaching  milestones  such as taking first steps, smiling and learning to speak, or show other  signs . Children should be monitored by their parents and primary care providers  for possible developmental disabilities. If you or your child’s doctor has co

The Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) has announced that Caregiver Support Services funds will be available for the fiscal year 2016 beginning July 1, 2015. Caregiver Support Services is 100 percent state funded and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications received during fiscal year 2015 for Caregiver Support Services do not carry over to fiscal year 2016. An application must be completed for each fiscal year’s Caregiver Support Services funds. Applications may be made online, by mail or in-person. To apply online, please access the following DDRS webpage :  Apply for Caregiver Support Services To apply by mail or in-person please call or visit your local   BDDS District Office  and request an application. A frequently asked question document is available on the  BDDS Website As long as the Caregiver Support Services funds are available, services may be approved and available

It’s a big year for milestones in federal legislation supporting people with disabilities and special health care needs. This summer, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is celebrating its 25 th  anniversary. The ADA opened doors for people with disabilities to access businesses, employment, transportation and more. Medicaid, which provides health coverage to almost 70 million low income and disabled Americans, turns 50. The Affordable Care Act (ACA)—the “new kid”—had its 5 th  birthday in March. In those 5 short years, the ACA has opened new doors to health insurance coverage and benefits. On Monday ,  July 20, 2015, 1pm  Eastern , a free webinar will be offered where experts from the  Catalyst Center  and the  National Center for Medical Home Implementation  will discuss, based on recently developed  plain language fact sheets , how the following ACA provisions can help families raising children with special health care needs: Medicaid “wrap-around” coverage for priv