People First of West Virginia

On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that some state workers in Indiana suggested leaving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities at homeless shelters if they can't be cared for at home due to decreased funding for support services.

The Arc of Indiana's John Dickerson on posted on his blog about the "real problem."

He said:

"No family who cares for a loved one with a developmental disability such as autism, Down syndrome, or cerebral palsy should ever be told that a homeless shelter is an option.  But, punishing state employees will not address a very real problem.

The real problem is that viable options are not being made available to families due to Indiana’s revenue short fall and changes in state policy.  Families in need are facing a crisis in receiving critical services."

What can you do to help?

• Learn a bit more about what we do.
• If you're in Indiana, join The Arc and contribute to the solution.
• Or you can make a donation, and know that it will go a long way in helping create solutions to this pressing issue.

The Arc of Indiana's John Dickerson, the chapter's executive director, says, "We've got to have some sort of a way to cover people in the meantime because otherwise this new food policy could leave people without any food budget at all."

You can read the full story from the Washington Post here.

From the New York Times:

"Paul Miller, a lawyer who was born with achondroplasia — dwarfism — overcame discrimination because of his disability and became a leader in the disability rights movement, died Tuesday at his home on Mercer Island, Wash. He was 49."

Read the rest of the story here.

10. Get an overview of the newly established Autism NOW! Center funded by a $1.87 million grant from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities.

9. Hear from Sharon Lewis, Commissioner of the ADD, and Melody Musgrove, Director of the Office of Special Education, U.S. Department of Education, who are speaking at this year’s plenary session.

8. Celebrate Paul Marchand’s 38-year career and contributions to The Arc at the Closing Dinner.

7. Take advantage of networking at the single biggest gathering of the year for self-advocates and families, members of The Arc, employees, board members, experts and professionals.

6. Celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Arc and get ready for the next 60 years.

5. Witness the unveiling of The Arc’s new brand identity.

4. Enjoy sunny Florida and dance the night away at a party hosted by The Arc of Florida and spend some time at Disney World®.

3. Tell your story and be part of The Archive as we record the oral histories of people involved in the intellectual and developmental disability movement.

2. Let Hammer Travel handle the headache of getting there with special travel arrangements personalized for people with disabilities.

1. Have your voice heard and participate in the future of The Arc through elections, forums, roundtable sessions and more.

To register, go to our Convention website.

Television shows lack a realistic representation of characters with disabilities, according to a recent study released.

From a post on Disability Scoop: "Just 1 percent of regular characters on scripted shows scheduled to air on broadcast networks this season have a disability. The findings  are part of a new report from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which for the first time this year included disability in its annual look at diversity on television. In addition to disability, the report considered characters’ gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity."

You can read the full article, and find a link to the entire study here.

If you haven't seen it, check out The FairFax Times feature story on The Arc's own Jill Egle.

Jill serves as The Arc of Northern Virgina's co-executive director and is a self-advocate intern in The Arc's national office in Washington, D.C. Here's a snippet of the piece:

"Even though the organization's mission is to assist and advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, some in The Arc of Northern Virginia were taken aback when Executive Director Nancy Mercer wanted to bring on Jill Egle as co-executive director.

"They weren't used to thinking about someone with an intellectual disability in a leadership role," Mercer said. But she recognized leadership abilities in Egle, who originally joined the Arc staff as an administrative assistant.

"It's amazing what this nonprofit has done for me," Egle said of The Arc, while dabbing tears away.

Egle continuously strives to exceed others' expectations of her abilities. With Mercer as a mentor, she goes to meetings, lobbies state legislators and helps raise money for the nonprofit.

"She raised $50,000 in her first year," Mercer said. "People don't say 'no' to her.""

Read the rest of the article here.

The Madison/Cortland Arc, The Arc of Oneida-Lewis, and the Herkimer Arc, all in New York, will be hosting the second annual autism conference.

According to the Oneida Daily Dispatch:

"Dr. Tony Attwood, a clinical psychologist from Brisbane, Australia, will be speaking at the Turning Stone Resort on Monday, Nov. 1.

The conference will be, 'A Complete Guide to Autism/Aspergers Syndrome, From relationships and making friends to emotional management and social skills.'"

Read more about the conference here.

People in Missouri with developmental disabilities saw an important step take place last week regarding greater access to state aid. According to the Kansas City Star:

"Nearly 5,000 Missouri families of individuals with developmental disabilities are on a waiting list for state-funded services, such as ramps, day programs, dental services and personal care attendants.

The state took a small but significant step toward addressing that unmet need on Thursday with an $8.2 million program expansion that will rescue about 470 families from waiting-list limbo in coming weeks.

“It’s a great win, but it’s nowhere near the numbers that we need to have taken off the list,” said Angela Gourley, executive director of Arc of Missouri, an advocacy group for the developmentally disabled."

You can read the entire article here.

Scott Jones has been promoted to director of vocational services at Genesee ARC, the agency announced Wednesday.

For more information on the promotion, please see the story in TheDaily News.

Washington, DC - President Barack Obama signed legislation yesterday requiring the federal government to replace the term “mental retardation” with “intellectual disability” in many areas of government. You can read more about the legislation in a post by Disability Scoop.

You can read more about Rosa's Law here.