Indiana Family to Family

If you have engaged with HFW Access Sites and want your voice heard, the Division of Mental Health and Addiction wants to hear from you!! Over the past five years Access Sites have been utilized, as the point of entry for families interested in services through the Children’s Mental Health Wraparound (CMHW) program. DMHA would like to hear from Access Sites, youth, families and other concerned stakeholders regarding their experience. To gather your feedback, DMHA is to hosting a series meetings throughout the state. The meetings will be conducted using a focus group format. This means that DMHA will provide some general conversation starters related to Access Site policy, processes and procedures and participants will have an opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns about what has and has not worked. All meetings will take place in person and will not be recorded or available in any other format. The date, time and location of the focus group meetings are as follows: Feb

from Ntl Family Voices:   Notwithstanding the partisan divide behind the partial government shut-down, Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and both chambers of Congress are looking at various ways they might be able to reduce drug prices. See  7 Ideas to Lower Drug Prices  (Fiscal Times, 1/14/19);  As Congress Returns, Lawmakers Rush to Detail Drug-Pricing Agendas  (STAT, 1/9/19). Some of these efforts are even bipartisan. For example, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and  Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced the  Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act,  which Senator Klobuchar had previously introduced with the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ). See  Klobuchar press release.  That bill would allow individuals to procure drugs from Canada for their personal use. A similar bill has been introduced in the House by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME). At the same time, the new chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) is launching a br

NEW  ABLE Accounts and Special Needs Trusts Thursday, January 31, 2:00-3:30 pm ET National Disability Institute To prepare for the webinar, you are encouraged to review: The ABLE Materials Toolkit  - A centralized location of printable ABLE-related information which will increase your awareness and understanding of ABLE accounts. "ABLE Accounts and SNTs" How to Choose?"  - Explains the similarities and differences between ABLE accounts and SNTs.

A legacy resource from NICHCY    Many different individuals come together to help the student plan for transition. Typically, transition planning is handled by members of the  IEP team , with other individuals becoming involved as needed. It’s important to involve a variety of people, for they will bring their unique perspectives to the planning table. The team draws upon the expertise of the different members and pools their information to make decisions or recommendations for the student. In addition to the regular players at the IEP table (parents, student, special education and general education teachers, related service providers, administrators, others), when transition is going to be discussed,  representatives of outside agencies may be invited , especially those who are well informed about resources and adult services in the community. Here’s a list of four different agencies to consider, plus the ever-useful “Other” category. Each is discussed in some detail further below.

from IIDC: Contributed by  Marci Wheeler, MSW and  Dr. Cathy Pratt, BCBA-D Your son/daughter has just been medically diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by their primary care physician or by a psychologist.  It has been recommended that you pursue Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy.  ABA is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics as an evidence-based practice.  The challenge then becomes locating a provider and funding for the program.  A list of providers can be found on our website at  https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/where-and-how-to-find-an-aba-provider-or-center .  ABA programs should guide you on identifying and accessing funding sources.  This article is written so that you can better understand your options.  Do not be overwhelmed. Insurance Coverage Indiana is fortunate to have a strong autism insurance mandate.  Understanding if and how you are covered under your insurance plan should be the first step.  Your child is eligible to be cover

Every three years, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies are required to develop a Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment. As part of the assessment, VR is requesting your feedback on the need for services, or gaps in services for job seekers with disabilities. VR wants to provide the best services possible and needs your ideas. Your answers to the survey questions are very important. They will help VR improve services for individuals with disabilities. The survey will end on January 25, 2019 . To complete the survey, click on the link 2019 Vocational Rehabilitation Survey. You can also cut and paste the following url into your browser:  https://iu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e4pAodrLsEWNoYR You may complete the full survey or only the questions you choose. The survey is anonymous and no identifying information is collected. Individuals who need help in completing the survey may call the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services at 1-800-545-7763 (toll free) or 317-234-2907 for a

The Indiana Department of Education's (IDOE) Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Wellness website is now  live . This website is where you will find all newly created Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) resources. This week you will find three short videos:  SEL Introduction ,  SEL 101 ,  and  SEL 201 . In addition, you will find an infographic on  "Why" Social-Emotional Learning is important plus Indiana's Seven  SEL Competencies  with classroom strategies. Next week, we will be releasing the PK-12 Social-Emotional Learning Competencies.  Please contact  Christy Berger , Assistant Director of Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Wellness, with further questions.