Indiana Family to Family

From left to right: Mark Wietecha, Nat’l Assoc. of Children’s Hospitals; Dr. O. Marion Burton, Immediate Past President, American Academy of Pediatrics; Joan Alker, Co-Director, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families; Dianne Malley, Mother of Carissa Malley, a child with special health care needs; and Carissa Malley, front and center. "This is a story of Medicaid working. For us, Medicaid covered services that our private insurance didn't, and that are essential for Carissa's health." Dianne Malley with her daughter Carissa whose special health care needs are cared for by Medicaid, presenting at a Congressional briefing on the role of Medicaid in children’s health care, Nov 29, 2011 Washington, D.C., November 30, 2011: On Tuesday, November 29, 2011 two briefings were held for Congress, one in the Senate and one at the Capitol, to highlight the importance of the Medicaid program in serving diverse populations of children. The

Family Voices shares this information regarding Indiana’s request for a waiver of key provisions of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). We encourage our members to become better educated on this topic and advocate as needed. We will continue to share information on the process as it becomes available. The U.S. Department of Education invited each State educational agency (SEA) to request flexibility on behalf of itself, its local educational agencies, and schools, in order to better focus on improving student learning and increasing the quality of instruction. This voluntary opportunity provides educators and State and local leaders with flexibility regarding specific requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) in exchange for rigorous and comprehensive State-developed plans designed to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction. You can read more in the embedded FAQ. Eleven states have form

FV Indiana is excited to celebrate Maureen Greer, the 2011 Indiana Governor's Council for People Disabilities Distinguished Leader. The commitment that Maureen Greer has shown to families raising children with disabilities and special health care needs in Indiana has been extraordinary. We are on the cusp of seeing the first generation of Indiana First Steps graduates reach adulthood, bring with them the wave of change sparked by the community based early interventions services First Steps provided. Maureen’s legacy and impact are not limited to Hoosier families touched by First Steps. Instead, it includes; the family centered care provided by hundreds of physicians whose training Maureen impacted at Methodist Hospital, the countless families touched by the number of initiatives Maureen has worked on under the umbrella of Emerald Consulting and most recently the greater discussion and awareness of disability issues within President Obama’s campaign where Maureen served as a member