Lawmakers urge feds to listen to autism self-advocates (Disability Scoop, Oct. 31)
Members of Congress are calling on the Obama administration to take into account concerns of self-advocates as the federal government works to implement the recently-passed Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act, or Autism CARES.
Opinion: Students with disabilities are still being put in seclusion rooms (The Huffington Post, Oct. 28)
State laws restricting schools’ use of restraint and seclusion probably do little to help students with disabilities, University of New Hampshire researchers say. Many U.S. school districts use restraint and seclusion as discipline, and the punishments disproportionately affect students with disabilities, according to the research paper published last week.
Course focuses on interior design for those on the spectrum (Disability Scoop, Oct. 28)
To keep the children safe, the students in Professor Kathryn Rivera’s class have been discussing options such as locks that require a fingerprint to open, as well as induction cooktops that do not heat up unless a pot is placed on top. Magnetic boards or a chalkboard wall would allow Isabel — who loves to plan parties — to make changeable lists.
You’ll likely need long-term care, but how will you pay for it? (US News & World Report, Oct. 28)
“I think Americans believe that either their health insurance or Medicare will cover long-term care;” however, neither is a true funding source for long-term care, and most Americans don’t have alternatives in place. In a recent study, Genworth found that despite the fact that roughly 70 percent of Americans reaching age 65 will one day depend on long-term care services, only 11 percent have a long-term care insurance policy.
Blog: Kansas governor is forcing disabled people off Medicaid (ThinkProgress, Oct. 27)
Since Brownback’s inauguration, 1,414 Kansans with disabilities have been forced off of the Medicaid physical disability (PD) waiver.
Autistic kids may benefit from this kind of parent-led therapy (TIME, Oct. 27)
Parents can learn how to give effective therapy to their children with autism, a new study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry finds.
Disabled Vt. senior who led class action suit sues Medicare – again (Kaiser Health News, Oct. 27)
“People shouldn’t have to decline in order to get the care they need,” Stein said. “It is ironic and also not unusual for people to find themselves in that circumstance. We are unfortunately finding providers are still reluctant to provide care because they are so accustomed to Medicare denials based on a need for improvement.”
Dental care for the developmentally disabled (The Boston Globe, Oct. 27)
Bessette, 29, is among hundreds of developmentally disabled adults who get their cleanings and fillings at this facility on the grounds of the Wrentham Development Center, one of seven Tufts dental facilities across Massachusetts run through a partnership with the state.
Feds greenlight more partially blind, deaf, seizure-prone truck drivers (The Hill, Oct. 24)
Truck drivers who are partially blind, hearing impaired or seizure-prone could soon find themselves behind the wheel in the latest round of exemptions from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).