Resources for you

Each month, Family Voices Indiana provides the families we serve with a summary of the month’s hottest items. If you missed us on Facebook in August, here is the latest!

August Awareness:
National Immunization Awareness Month. The goal of NIAM is to increase awareness about immunizations across the lifespan, from infants to the elderly.
August 11-17, National Health Center Week. Community Health Centers (CHCs) are a major component of America's health care safety net, providing high quality primary health care to low-income citizens, the uninsured, and other vulnerable populations. You can find your local community health center here:
http://www.indianapca.org/aboutchcs/Map.html.

Family Voices:
Check out our Family Voices Staff Spotlights! This month’s page featured specialists Kerry Bonney, Brenda Darrol, Jan Labas, and Ofelia Jimenez.
Facebook fans liked our many inspirational quotes. Be sure to check out our page for a pick-me-up. Also, we encourage you to share our page with friends using the share or invite features!
"We don't need pity; we're a very happy family and we just want to get on with our lives. I hate people calling me 'special' or thinking I somehow have extra qualities that enable me to deal with all this. The truth is that when it happened to me, I thought I couldn't cope.
"But a very wise person said to me: 'You'll cope because you have to.' And that's what anyone would do. Calling us 'special' or alluding to our great qualities makes us different, sets us apart, and we don't want that at all." Read the article here: 
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/aug/16/children-disabilities-special-needs-mumsnet-campaign.
You might be a special needs parent, if… See how many items you can check off this list!
"School is a great place to learn about Math and History and English and Science. It's also a great place to learn how awesome it is to celebrate our differences, to learn how to do the right thing and to learn how to help others. Those are skills you will use for the rest of your life. 
I'm trying to change the world for my son Greyson and for all kids with Super Powers. I can't do it without your help, though.Will you help me?" Read more here: 
www.huffingtonpost.com/chrissy-kelly/will-you-help-me-change-the-world-for-our-children_b_3749412.html.
Megan has a powerful message for others: Don't Limit Me! View her message here.
"I will take care of my child. I will love and nurture him. I will teach him. I will give him every advantage I can afford, so that he might one day be the person he wants to be. I ask that you help make this a safe world for him–a world where he can be who he is without apology, a world where difference isn’t a crime. God didn’t give me a special child to raise–he gave all of us the opportunity to be the best or the worst version of ourselves. I’m doing my part. All I ask is that you do yours." Read the article here: http://birdonthestreet.com/2011/04/all-i-ask/.

Training and Learning Opportunities:
Family Voices works to fulfill our mission of empowering families by providing you with educational opportunities and resources. Check our website frequently for learning resources by visiting: http://www.fvindiana.org/trainingThis month, we shared the following on Facebook.
Want to know more about insurance programs for children with autism and other special health care needs? We have a series of articles on the new Autism Companion website.
"We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” If you're not familiar with Make-A-Wish America, learn more on their FB page, or here: http://wish.org/.
Under IDEA, States and school districts are obligated to ensure that students with disabilities receive FAPE (free appropriate public education) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). OSEP guidance explains that any bullying of a student with disabilities which results in the student not receiving meaningful educational benefit is considered a denial of FAPE. Furthermore, this letter notes that certain changes to an educational program of a student with a disability (e.g., placement in a more restricted “protected” setting to avoid bullying behavior) may constitute a denial of FAPE in the LRE. Read more here: http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/08/keeping-students-with-disabilities-safe-from-bullying/
Along with changes to the health insurance system that guarantee access to coverage to everyone regardless of pre-existing health conditions, the Affordable Care Act includes a requirement that many people be insured or pay a penalty. This simple flowchart illustrates how that requirement (sometimes known as an “individual mandate”) works.
Looking for a kid-friendly, easy to understand way to explain Autism? Use this Hands in Autism brochure to spread awareness in your classroom or community. For the brochure, visit http://www.handsinautism.org/autism.html then click on I Have Autism Brochure.

Newsworthy:
We've created a FB page for our Latino families who prefer information in Spanish and/or would like to connect with other families. Check it out: https://www.facebook.com/VocesDeFamiliaDeIndiana.
Did you know we're on Pinterest, too? Check out our boards at http://pinterest.com/fvindiana/
If you will be buying insurance on the Marketplace you may have extra considerations around coverage for therapy. This article highlights some of the “fine print” families need to be looking for. Family Voices Indiana is happy to help you learn more.
"The sickest 2 million kids account for about 40 percent of Medicaid's total spending on children. Many of these children have a combination of private insurance and Medicaid, and it can be challenging to coordinate care and coverage." If you need help navigating systems and services, feel free to contact us. Read (or listen to) the article here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/08/26/214852775/kids-with-costly-medical-issues-get-help-but-not-enough.
Hannah and Friends provides funding for a program called Hannah's Helping Hands (HHH), which funds quality of life grants for families that care for children and adults with special needs in Florida, Indiana (including the greater Michiana area), Kansas, Kansas City Metro Area, Rhode Island and New York.
More info here: http://www.hannahandfriends.org/index.php/for-parents/hannah-s-helping-hands-grants.
"In May, 2013, the American Psychiatric Association came out with an all-new diagnostic manual, the DSM-5. This manual, sometimes called the 'Bible' of mental health diagnosis, is important because it is used to determine who gets services, what kind of services they get, and whether or not they are eligible for particular forms of education." Read more here: http://autism.about.com/od/diagnosingautism/a/What-Are-The-New-Criteria-For-Diagnosing-Autism-Spectrum-Disorders.htm.

Collaboration:
Family Voices encourages you to use your voice to influence care, public and private policy, and educate others. In that vein, we strive to share with you opportunities to collaborate with others to improve the systems we engage. Here are some opportunities:
Here is a community-edited guide to accessible playgrounds. So far, they've identified 1,301. Help them find more! Do you have pictures of accessible playgrounds here in Indiana? We would love to share them. Please email info@fvindiana.org.

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