KC Star editorial on proposed budget cuts to Medicaid:

http://www.kansascity.com/340/story/1646248.html Please read the Kansas City Star's editorial about Governor Parkinson's decision to cut Medicaid reimbursement rates by 10%.

Man who inspired "Rain Man" movie dies

Click on the link below to view the story of Kim Peek, the autistic savant from Salt Lake City, Utah who was the inspiration behind the Oscar-winning movie, Rain Man. What an incredible story!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6964730.ece

DD 101

I was thrilled this week when twelve legislators braved the cold and visited JCDS for an evening of learning. "DD 101" was the title of the educational session which provided training about developmental disabilities (DD). JCDS shared how individuals qualify for DD services, how individuals access funding and services, and shared information about specific types of developmental disabilities. Parents spoke about personal experiences with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, seizure disorder and challenging behavior. They shared their joys and challenges.

The highlight of the evening was a monologue presented by a young woman with Down syndrome. She expained that diversity is beautiful and challenged legislators to see value in everyone.

I'm thankful that legislators were open to learn, but more importantly, I'm thankful that families were willing to share these personal stories. I believe that legislators left with a changed perspective on developmental disabilities.

Calling all aspiring designers!

Friends of JCDS is gearing up for Restyle Runway, a fundraiser fashion show where student designers create clothing collections restyled entirely from donated items obtained at local Goodwill Industries stores. Please visit http://www.friendsofjcds.com/restyle-runway.html for more information!

The letters keep pouring in!

Here is the latest KC Star Letter to the Editor - Nov. 19, 2009

‘A wonderful influence’

A hearty congratulations to Sarah Sherman and all those who helped her along the path towards induction into the National Honor Society (11/13, A1, “Big smiles for a big honor”). Sarah is a shining example of the new philosophy of parents and schools in partnership — parents working in tandem with teams of educators in support of the student’s unique talents is paying dividends for all involved.
With her work as a peer mentor and her 40 hours of community service, Sarah is a contributing member to her school and community. Sarah shows us that people with Down syndrome need not be relegated to just receiving services from others.
The Down Syndrome Guild routinely references the peer mentor program at Blue Valley North High school when presenting best practices for educating students with Down syndrome.
And how is Sarah faring as a tutor? I can tell you that with Sarah’s help, my son Jack Murphy is maintaining an A average in Earth and Space Science. Sarah is a wonderful influence on us all.

Bridget Murphy

Latest JCDS Newsletter

Click HERE to read the latest Images, the Johnson County Developmental Supports newsletter!

Another KC Star Letter to the Editor regarding the DD waiting list

Article was published Nov. 17, 2009

Where’s the compassion?

The Star recently published a column regarding funding cuts for children and adults with disabilities (11/8, Opinion, “When the state fails the neediest”). Shame on our elected officials in Kansas. How can they be so insensitive to this problem?
We would encourage them to spend a day with one of the thousands of families on the waiting list for services. They would find families in crisis with no one to care for their adult children after they exit high school. Some parents have quit their jobs to stay home with their children. They cannot leave them for lack of someone with the skills to care for them. They need someone who understands sign language or how to handle a 14-year-old with a feeding tube. These are very real situations.
We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for early intervention and programs in school, yet we forget about people with disabilities after high school.
Our elected leaders need to lead with compassion and with smart decisions so everyone gets an opportunity to live and work to their fullest potential.

Mimi and Jack Nagle

Overland Park

KC Star Letter to the Editor

Article was published Nov. 15, 2009

Waiting list for services

The Star ran a column on Danielle Bryant and her family (11/8, Opinion, “When the state fails the neediest”). Danielle is a person with a developmental disability that qualifies her to receive services from the state of Kansas. But due to a shortage of funds, she and many others are placed on a waiting list. It is a frustrating situation.
The same problem exists in Missouri, where nearly 5,000 people with developmental disabilities are waiting for needed services, often for many years. Elderly parents struggle to give loving care to adult children, often including bathing and dressing them, while worrying about the future and waiting. Young people transition from the school system only to find that there is no funding to continue services. They must wait, and wait.
It seems odd that the government can find money to provide services to people in this country illegally but can’t find money for natural-born citizens with developmental disabilities. If we are unwilling to protect and serve those unable to care for themselves, one wonders about our national values.
I urge legislators from both Kansas and Missouri to provide adequate funding of services for people with developmental disabilities and eliminate the waiting list.

Mike Hanrahan

Cameron, Mo.

Waiting list wake-up call: KC Star editorials

The Kansas City Star ran two compelling editorials on Nov. 8 about the DD waiting list in Kansas. Click HERE to read the first and HERE to read the second. The waiting list is one of the most important issues that DD advocates have been fighting to eliminate. Contact your legislator today and ask them to vote to eliminate the waiting list in 2010.

We are Autism 2010 video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw7wlVfyi74

Who knew that numbers had a "look"?

PERCEPTIONS The drawings of Daniel Tammet, above, who wrote the 2007 book “Born on a Blue Day,” about living with autism, show how he visualizes some numbers

Guardianship Informational Session Nov. 5

On November 5, the Kansas Guardianship Program is holding an informational session from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the County Administration building. Families are encouraged to attend to learn more about guardianship and basic procedures involved in pursuing guardianship.
The County Administration building is located at 111 South Cherry Street, in Olathe, KS. The meeting will be held in Room 200.
For more information, please contact Peggy Shear at 913.826.2502.

Kansas City Star, Letter to the Editor, 10.27.09

Thought I'd share an editorial that was printed in the KC Star on Oct. 27th:


Waiting list too long
I believe that experience is the best teacher, so the Star article on peer tutors and special needs students caught my interest (10/17, Johnson County Neighborhood News).
When you spend time with folks with developmental disabilities (DD), you often get back much more than you give. I’m encouraged that students take advantage of this opportunity. Unfortunately, I’d like to share the rest of the story.
Kansas maintains a list of more than 4,100 individuals waiting for DD funding. Many special needs graduates are on this waiting list.
After graduation, young people look forward to starting new chapter in life. But many young adults with special needs simply “graduate to their living rooms,” unable to access funding required for day service programs. Stuck at home, they quickly lose the skills their teachers and tutors have spent years teaching them. A few may get jobs, but often folks with DD are the last hired and the first to go.
Schools should continue their wonderful efforts. The Kansas legislature should fund the DD waiting list. The “rest of the story” should have a happy ending.
Lurena Mead
Johnson County
Developmental Supports
community relations manager
Overland Park

The 2009 legislative session yielded a $5.6 million cut to developmental disability (DD) funding resulting in a loss of services to over 2,000 people statewide. Yesterday, I spoke with five families from Johnson County who lost their funding after these cuts. As one mother put it "it is the wrong way for the state to save money".

Tom Laing, Director of InterHab, an advocacy organization representing DD agencies statewide said that if 4,100 children were on a waiting list for kindergarten, legislators would hear about it and take action immediately. My question is, why is it acceptable for 4,100 individuals in need of developmental disability funding remain waiting for services?

The state has been talking about more cuts for this next session. We can't allow that to happen. I encourage folks to write their legislators and ask to replace the funding lost last session as well as take positive action to eliminate this 15 year old waiting list.

Now is the time to take action!

KC Star article "A Theology of Disability"

The Kansas City Star has a great article about how aiding those with disabilities is a spiritual act. Click on the link to read the column!
http://www.kansascity.com/255/story/1504700.html

Fox 4 features JCDS and Oral Health on Wheels

Below is a link to the wonderful Fox4 feature highlighting JCDS’ partnership with Oral Health On Wheels (OHOW). OHOW is a mobile dental unit that is introducing dental hygiene students to clients with developmental disabilities. OHOW will be honored tomorrow by InterHab (our statewide advocacy association) with a 2009 Inclusive Communities Award to be presented at their Annual Conference in Wichita.

http://www.fox4kc.com/lifestyle/health/wdaf-oral-health-wheels-100709,0,43831.story

Campaign for Disability Employment

October is National Disability Employment Month. Workers with disabilities offer many "positives" to the workplace. The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize those "positives".http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG_W7wAe1kw

Cerebral Palsy and Robots

Technology is an amazing thing. Children with cerebral palsy are learning to walk with the assistance of a robot! Who'd have ever guessed...?http://www.wftv.com/health/21113599/detail.html

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Photo, from left: Mary Beth DeCock, Steven DeCock, JCDS's Lurena Mead and BOCC Chairwoman Annabeth Surbaugh.

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month and a Johnson County resident and her son, who is on the waiting list for DD (developmental disability) services, were on hand to accept a proclamation from the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners this morning.

Documentary about Samuel

I read a blog on the Business Week site entitled "Do Kids with Disabilities Strain or Strengthen our Schools?". Interesting discussion about the pros and cons of integrated school settings. Dan Habib is an author and award-winning photojournalist and wrote about the prejudice he once held against kids and adults with disabilities. “When I saw people who couldn’t walk or talk … It’s painful to admit, but I often saw them as less smart, less capable, and not worth getting to know.”

Dan now has a young son with Cerebral Palsy and has changed his tune. Changed his tune because now understands that inclusion is important for social change and unity. Dan has created a documentary that will be shown on Kansas City's KCPT at 8:00 p.m. on Oct. 22. I think if you view the trailer, you'll deem this to be a "must see"! I know I won't be missing this program.
http://www.includingsamuel.com/home.aspx

Disability Rights On the Move!

After being boycotted for years by the Bush administration, I was pleased to learn that the U.S. recently “did the right thing” (my words) by signing a United Nations treaty urging equal protection and equal benefits under the law for the 650 million people with disabilities worldwide (10% of the global population). The treaty will be submitted to the U.S. Senate for ratification.

I consider this an event worthy of front-page news although alas, it was not!

This “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” is the first new human rights treaty of the 21st century adopted by the United Nations. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, signed the treaty on behalf of the United States, joining 141 other countries that also supported the measure.

The Convention calls on all nations to guarantee rights consistent with those afforded under the Americans with Disabilities Act, urges equal protection and equal benefit before the law for all citizens, and affirms the inherent dignity, worth, and independence of all persons with disabilities worldwide.

Surely it was no accident that this Convention was signed just a few days after the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a proclamation adopted this summer, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) celebrated local progress resulting from the landmark ADA legislation while acknowledging that there is still much left to do.

On the morning of October 1st, the BOCC will again publically push for expanded disability rights by designating October 2009 as “”Disability Employment Awareness Month” in Johnson County. This year’s theme, “Expectation + Opportunity = Full Participation” underscores the vital role that expectations play in our successes as individuals and as a society. Congress designated each October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month in 1988.

Here at JCDS, we are grateful for the support of the BOCC, and of the Johnson County community, in anticipating the full participation of people with disabilities in the workforce. Most of all, we look to their partnership in providing access to a full range of employment choices for the people we serve.

And there is so much left to do! In statistics released by the U.S. Department of Labor just last month, the percent of people with disabilities in the labor forces was 22.2 compared with 71.2 for persons without disabilities. The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was nearly double the 9.3 percent for persons with no disability.

So we must continue raising the bar; we must create the inexorable expectation that people with disabilities can and will contribute in every way to our economic successes and the diversity of our neighborhoods. Only by nurturing this expectation and providing people with disabilities with employment opportunities can we raise the quality of life for all.

Autism Speaks Video

Autism Speaks is hosting their second annual world focus on autism. Read the article for more information and be sure to watch the video. Very powerful...
http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/united_nations_world_focus_on_autism_2009.php

Adam, a movie about a man with autism

Click on the link to read the review and view the movie trailer of the new film Adam, a film about a young man with a form of austism called Aspergers Syndrome.
http://screencrave.com/2009-07-30/adam-movie-review/

Autism Awareness

Youtube is an incredible tool! Watch this video distributed on autism awareness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfcBB74k0Sc

Ten Great Traits of Parents of Children with Special Needs

Joan Celebi is a mother of 2 special needs children and the founder of specialneedsparentscoach.com. Following is her list of ten great traits of parents of children with special needs. I found her list to be powerful and hope you do too!

10. Camaraderie: meet someone new + find out they have a child with special needs = instant friend.
9. Sense of humor – it carries us through even the worst of days
8. Appreciation – for what's truly important in life
7. Determination – a "do whatever it takes" attitude
6. Vigilance – often anticipating and heading off potential problems before they happen
5. Empathy – for others facing challenges in life, whatever those challenges may be
4. Intellectual prowess – from reading all those research studies!
3. Resourcefulness – more often than not, we find a way or make a way
2. Strength – mental, emotional, and physical -- and stamina, too
1. Courage – we face challenges head on that we once could never have fathomed

Kansas City Star Editorial about JCDS and DD funding

Click on the link to read the article from the Star's Editorial on Sunday, September 6, first story in a three-part series!

http://www.kansascity.com/340/story/1426640.html

Letter to the Editor KC Star 9/4/09

Special-needs children bring blessings
Thank you for the article on the Spurlock family (8/16, A1, “Family embraces two babies with special needs”). Families with a child having a disability realize both blessings and challenges. The blessings come through experiencing unconditional love and the discovery of patience and empathy. The challenges are wrought by broken dreams, of “what could have been.”
Typical decisions made by most families are anything but “typical” for families of a child with a disability. How does one handle teasing, a seizure in public, a stranger’s stare? What is the best way to ensure quality time with other family members? How do you juggle enormous medical bills, keep the family safe from aggressive behaviors or find a flexible job? How does one access a critical therapy or a new wheelchair?
Typically, parents dream of seeing their children grow old. Parents of children with a disability worry about what will happen if their child outlives them.
Get to know a family raising a child with a disability. Share their blessings and challenges. It will enrich your lives as well.
Lurena Mead
Community relations
manager, Johnson County
Developmental Supports,

'Underdiagnosed' Girls With Autism Struggle to Fit In

Interesting video/article on girls and autism!

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=4177353&page=1

Employment of folks with disabilities

http://www.ndsccenter.org/morealike/flash/
We're More Alike Than Different video dispels myth that people with down syndrome can't be valuable, productive workers.

JCDS in the news!

Above: Steve Vickers, JCDS consumer and TurnStyles employee poses with Channel 9 reporter Donna Pitman.

KMBC Channel 9 in Kansas City just did a profile on Steve Vickers, "consumer" or adult with a developmental disabilities served by Johnson County Developmental Supports. Click on the link to watch the story!

http://www.kmbc.com/money/20589469/detail.html

Down Syndrome awareness video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_0K-gPlyb0
This is an up coming Traveling Gallery, promoting Down Syndrome awareness. Portrait photography by renown photographer Thomas Balsamo. Sit back and enjoy! I know I did!

Get ready for National Disability Employment Awareness Month!

At JCDS, we are gearing up for National Disability Employment Awareness Month in Oct.
For Americans with disabilities, employment is vital to independence, empowerment, and quality of life. Observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month highlights people with disabilities as a tremendous source of capable employees, and gives us all an opportunity to recognize the many contributions citizens with disabilities make to our community. Click HERE to view this year's poster!

Good Morning America report

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=8222023&page=
This is an interesting report from Good Morning America about a woman with Prader-Willi Syndrome. The report stresses how a good residential setting has helped to support healthy eating and exercise. The GMA staff were amazed that such a syndrome existed. We still have lots of educating to do!

Check out the August 16th KC Star article about the Spurlock family. The family has one special needs child and just adopted another. "Babies with disabilities come prepackaged with a mighty strength. They peel away the clutter from life, showing what really matters" said the dad.

Anyone who has been around a special needs child can really appreciate the father's comment. Because of these children, we end up being a more patient parent, a more compassionate neighbor, a more thoughtful friend. The Spurlock children are indeed lucky to have caring parents, but in turn, the parents are lucky to have children who teach them about what is important in life.

NJ passes legislation to aid with insurance costs for children with developmental disabilities

Yesterday, New Jersey became the 15th state to enact a law requiring insurance companies to cover the screening and therapeutic treatment for children up to age 21 who are diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities.This legislation requires insurers to cover up to $36,000 annually for children with autism that are 21 years of age or younger. Coverage includes applied behavior analysis therapy, which is recognized as an effective, evidence-based treatment for children with autism.Keep educating your legislators about the need for a similar law in Kansas!

iGive.com, A New Way to Give to Friends of JCDS!

An easy and free way to help Friends! iGive.com will give money to Friends of JCDS everytime you search or shop online!! CHECK OUT THIS LINK for more information!http://www.iGive.com/html/refer.cfm?causeid=48589

Remembering Eunice Kennedy Shriver

I can't pass up the opportunity to comment on the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, long-time champion of people with developmental disabilities. Long before it was acceptable (let alone fashionable) to promote a vision of diversity and interdependence, Mrs. Shriver remained steadfast in her conviction that every one of us has something unique and individual to bring to the world. Where others saw only limitations and lack of potential, she saw people with inherent gifts deserving of respect and opportunity. Eunice Kennedy Shriver was truly an inspirational figure - I salute her profound vision, compassion and can-do spirit. Thanks to her life's service, our communities are more enlightened and inclusive places to live, work and play.

Johnson County Developmental Supports 2008 Annual Report

Click HERE to read the 2008 Annual Report!

U.S. Signs International Disability Rights Treaty

Click here to read more!

JCDS Director gets a call from the Feds

Check out the press release about JCDS Executive Director attending the Bernanke forum in Kansas City! Press release

Welcome to our new JCDS blog! We, as advocates for the developmental disability (DD) community, want to share our thoughts and also provide an opportunity for parents and adults with developmental disabilities to have their voices heard! We encourage active participation, feel free to share your personal story about your involvement with the DD community and provide insight about advocacy efforts! Stay tuned!