Indiana Family to Family

Family Voices and families of children and youth with special health care needs and/or disabilities everywhere mourn the passing of Senator Kennedy, a friend to many and a stranger to no one who cares deeply about children and families. Throughout his years of public service, Senator Kennedy was able to accomplish what few others have and did so repeatedly—he moved freely down the aisles of Congress, a fierce advocate and skilled negotiator, uniting many behind the shared vision of health and wellness for all. This is clearly evident in the thousands of pieces of legislation he authored over the years, but especially in those bills that have impacted families and children and youth with special health care needs: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Opportunity Act of 2005 (FOA) that created legislative funding for Family to Family Health Information Centers (F2FHICs) in all the states and the District of Columbia, the Medicaid Buy-In, and the State Children’s Healt

Family Voices Indiana believes individuals and families should have information that relates to services they may access in order to be a better consumer and advocate. The following is a bulletin from DDRS explaining the budget modification requests under OASIS (affecting the DD and Autism waivers) from DDRS: The mission of the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) is to facilitate effective partnerships which enhance the quality of life for the people we serve in the community and pursuits of their choice. With strong leadership, we remain focused on supporting those we serve and committed to effective, efficient and successful stewardship of the state’s financial resources. Individuals and businesses alike are feeling the effects of our current economy, and government is no exception. The State of Indiana is challenged with making tough decisions so that we might avoid budget cuts and reductions in services happening across our nation. At the same time, we must

The Department of Education today released the Proposed Rules for the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). Public comment is being accepted until September 21st, 2009. If you wish to make comment, the instructions on how to do so are included in the first page of the Federal Register document. Here is the document: Federal Register: Proposed Rules for HEOA (PDF, 5MB) (TIP: to find those areas that are specifically related to students with intellectual disabilities, use the Search feature of your PDF reader to find all references.) How to submit comments: DATES: We must receive your comments on or before September 21, 2009. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. We will not accept comments by fax or by e-mail. Please submit your comments only one time, in order to ensure that we do not receive duplicate copies. In addition, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comment