Kimberley Thompson, Sunrise Blog
Residential Fee Collection in the News
In the last few weeks, APD’s proposed Residential Fee Collection Rule has garnered much attention around the state. As currently written, the Residential Fee would require some clients to give the state excess cash benefits to manage the Agency’s budget. Share your thoughts on APD’s proposed Residential Fee Collection Rule here.
The People’s Champion
Eli Porter has shown us the exponential power of the internet as an effective tool for self-advocacy. Perhaps unexpected, he is a role-model. “The bar” for acceptable community inclusion has been forever raised. Going forward, inclusion must always be more than just “allowing people with intellectual disabilities to participate in an activity.”
Life Lessons
Unlike the Santorums, most families with young children with developmental disabilities remain on the “margins of citizenship.” Sadly, many families with babies born with developmental disabilities have limited access to medical supports or the means to access basic health care for their child. Hopefully the Santorums will use their personal experience with Bella and frame it into a “teachable moment” for the entire country.
Different-ly Abled… Just Like You
Within the greater disabilities community, “differently-abled” has a far broader meaning than competence. It focuses on the ABILITY of each person as opposed to what he/she may be lacking.
Developmental Disabilities Legislative Session Report #9
Summary: The final week of the session focused principally on appropriations for people interested in developmental disabilities. The Legislature adjourned sine die at 11:59 Friday night. Action during week 9: The Senate and House reached agreement on the General Appropriations Act (HB5001) and passed it late Friday night. For the Waiver, the results are shown [...]
New Kids on the Block
Sunrise’s mission is to provide people with disabilities the assistance and support necessary to enable them to live valued lives in the community and Georgia is “the” state that made that mission possible. Georgia was the lead (along with 29 other states) on a legal appeal to a lawsuit filed by two women who were institutionalized even though their treatment providers said they were able to live in the community. The landmark decision in that case is now known as the 1999 Olmstead Act.
Happy 2012 Spread the Word Day!
March 7th is the eight annual day of recognition for the Special Olympics’s “Spread the Word To End the Word” campaign. The initiative was launched in 2004 with the sole goal of eliminating the derogatory use of the “R-word”. The “R-word” being “retardation.” The phrase was originally introduced as a medical term with a very specific clinical connotation. But, it quickly went from a clinical description to a word of derision. The word’s pejorative forms, “retard” and “retarded” have been used widely in today’s society to degrade and insult people with and without intellectual disabilities. Sadly, when “retard” and “retarded” are used as synonyms for “dumb” or “stupid” by people without disabilities, it only reinforces painful stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities being less valued members of humanity.
The Seuss Effect
For the past 14 years, American school children have celebrated the legacy and wonder of Dr. Seuss on his March 2nd birthday. On National Literacy Day, Seuss is revered as “the guy” who inspired multiple generations of independent readers with his fantasy-filled stories about imaginative heroes and heroines speaking on behalf of silent, often marginalized [...]
A Hunk, A Hunk Burning… Opportunity
On a recent episode of Celebrity Apprentice, Penn Jillette was brought to tears when talking about his charity of choice, “Opportunity Village” in Las Vegas. The center provides services and supports to people with physical and intellectual challenges while teaching them the pre-vocational skills needed to obtain employment and live as independently as possible [...]
Developmental Disabilities – Legislative Report #8
Developmental Disabilities Legislative Session Report #8 By Kingsley Ross kross@sunrisegroup.org Summary: Week eight of the session continued to focus principally on appropriations for people interested in developmental disabilities. There is one week left in this session assuming the legislature adjourns on time. Action during week 8: The Senate and House began the appropriations conference process [...]
Inclusion, It Is Not Just for Disabilities Anymore…
For the most part, we all want the same things in life. We want freedom and independence. We want respect. We want the chance to prosper and improve our “lot in life”. We want as few people suffering as possible. We want healthy and educated children. We want to feel safe and enjoy crime-free streets [...]
Win-Win
Judge William J. Brennan, Jr. once noted that “Congress acknowledged that society’s accumulated myths and fears about disability and disease are as handicapping as are the physical limitations that flow from actual impairment.” Since then, the Developmental Disabilities Act, section 102(8), defined “the term ‘developmental disability’ to mean a severe, chronic disability of an [...]
Winds of Change Are Blowing
John Francis Kennedy once said, “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” As we all know, starting small can lead to big things. Of [...]
A Little History Worth Knowing
When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum’s classic tale, we only heard one side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis the little green skinned girl named Elphaba, an outcast? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And more importantly… what is the [...]
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
On February 20, 2012, Florida’s Governor Rick Scott signed a proclamation recognizing March as Developmental Disabilities month in the state. Ironically, at the same moment, legislative leaders over at the Capitol continued proposing hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts that would jeopardize the health and well being of Florida’s most vulnerable, many of [...]
The Power of Unreasonable People
We have all heard the old saying, “You have the power to change the world!” While we may agree that it sounds cliché, most major religions charge their followers to do just that. Both the Bible and the Torah tell us the story of Cain and Abel and “being our brother’s keeper.” Socially and morally, [...]
Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer
Spring break is right around the corner and for most parents that means time to start planning for summer camp!! Of course, for a parent of a child or an adult-child with a developmental disability, the summer camp “adventure” starts early. Without question, summer camp planning becomes more difficult for the simple fact that identifying [...]
Developmental Disabilities Legislative Session Report #4
Developmental Disabilities Legislative Session Report #4 By Kingsley Ross kross@sunrisegroup.org Summary: The fourth week of the 2012 regular session focused primarily on substantive legislation for people interested in developmental disabilities It also marked Developmental Disabilities (DD) Awareness Day at the capital with Sunrise consumers and parents from across the state attending. Action during week 4: [...]
Winds Of Change Are Blowing
The Secretary for the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities is proposing what he deems to be “some small changes” – clarifications, if you will. Rather than provide services which enable people to live independent lives in the community, he is asking the Florida Legislature to determine “what are the limits of his Agency’s responsibility to people with developmental disabilities?”
Legislative Session Report #7
Developmental Disabilities Legislative Session Report #7 By Kingsley Ross kross@sunrisegroup.org Summary: The seventh week of the session continued to focus principally on appropriations for people interested in developmental disabilities. There are two weeks left in this session if the legislature adjourns on time. Action during week 7: The Senate passed the General Appropriations Act (formerly [...]
