Kris and Paul Scharoun-DeForge lived a real-life Romeo And Juliet tale of forbidden, or rather unconventional, love. While their families didn’t hold them apart, society, in general, has typically seen people with Down’s Syndrome as incapable of a mature romantic relationship, much less a marriage of over two decades. These two beat the odds and proved love doesn’t have boundaries. Love Doesn’t Fit In A Neat Box Love is more than a word. It’s beyond an emotional state. No, love is a verb. It’s a force. It drives people to do incredible things and overcome unimaginable obstacles. Something full of such wonder simply can’t be labeled, put in a box, and placed neatly on a shelf. Nothing proves this more than the love story of Kris and Paul Scharoun-DeForge, both of whom were diagnosed with Down’s syndrome as children. The two love birds met over 30 years ago at a dance. It was an instant connection and attraction. To read more on this story, click here:The World’s Longest Down's Syndrome Marriage Ends At 25 Years As Husband Passes Away
Good news for parents of kids with disabilities! Time off work to attend Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings is covered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)!
If I gave you a million tries, you’d never guess that the next Department of Labor FMLA opinion letter would answer the question [wait for it . . .]: Is an employee’s attendance at a child’s IEP meeting covered by the FMLA? The Answer? Yes. Most definitely, yes. In an opinion letter issued yesterday, the DOL concluded that the FMLA covers an employee’s attendance at a school meeting where their child’s individualized education program (IEP) will be discussed. The Facts Interestingly, the request for an opinion letter came from a set of parents whose two children have serious health conditions. The employer for one of the parents approved intermittent FMLA leave to transport their children to and from medical appointments, but refused a request to take intermittent FMLA leave to attend school meetings. As background, their children currently receive “pediatrician-prescribed occupational, speech, and physical therapy provided by their school district.” Additionally, on four occasions throughout the school year, their school holds IEP meetings to “review their educational and medical needs, well-being, and progress.” These IEP meetings include participation by a speech pathologist, school psychologist, occupational therapist and/or physical therapist employed or contracted by the school district, all of whom provide services to the child under the child’s IEP. The child’s teachers and school administrators also attend. [In case you’re wondering, an IEP outlines the program of special education instruction, support and services a child with a disability will receive as part of their education program. Each program is designed to meet a child’s exact needs.] To read more on this story, click here:DOL Declares That Parent Attendance at School IEP Meetings Are Covered by the FMLA
On June 13, a coalition of disability advocates, providers, community non-profit organizations and Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) testified in a Washington, DC city council on local legislation to increase DSP wages. Esme Grewal, ANCOR Vice President of Government Relations, participated in the proceedings to support our DC members and share the national perspective. As quoted in Street Sense: “Grewal said it is not uncommon in the United States for direct support professionals to work more than one job to adequately support themselves. The national annual turnover rate for direct support professionals is about 45 percent, according to a report submitted to President Trump on the direct support workforce crisis in the United States. Grewal said high turnover means that service providers are frequently working to replace staff and provide consistent care to their clients.
An act of kindness was captured in a video when a disabled man got out of his wheelchair in order to shuffle down a grass embankment in order to rescue a small kitten that was caught in a storm drain. 30-year-old Abu Fathiyyaturahma Menk Abdun Mujtahid first noticed the kitten struggling to hold onto the concrete barriers in Sabah, Malaysia, last Saturday morning. Despite his inability to use his legs, Abu didn’t hesitate to get out of his wheelchair to get down to the stranded cat. To read more on this story, click here:Disabled Man Leaves His Wheelchair And Risks His Life To Rescue Kitten Stuck In Drain
Deep in New York's Adirondack Mountains, family and friends gathered to help 59-year-old Kris Scharoun-DeForge pay tribute to her remarkable husband. "He got me laughing and everything. He was the one for me," Kris said. Kris and Paul met in 1988 and after dating for five years, they became one of the first couples in the world with Down syndrome to get married. "I proposed to him," Kris said. "I whispered in his ear, 'Would you marry me?' And he looked up at me with this big beautiful smile and he shook his head 'Yes!' And that's when I knew." But Kris' sister, Susan Scharoun, said it took a lot more than "yes" to get them to "I do." There were marriage classes, counseling sessions, and a whole lot of pushback from the supposedly able-minded people. "Yea, there really was quite a bit of resistance. There was a feeling that it was like children getting married versus two very capable adults," Susan said. To read more on this story, click here:Widow with Down Syndrome Shows the Power of Love After Husband's Death
Everyone knows that autism is a spectrum. People bring it up all the time. “My son is on the severe end of the autism spectrum.” “We’re all a little autistic– it’s a spectrum.” “I’m not autistic but I’m definitely ‘on the spectrum.'” If only people knew what a spectrum is… because they are talking about autism all wrong. Let’s use the visible spectrum as an example. As you can see, the various parts of the spectrum are noticeably different from each other. Blue looks very different from red, but they are both on the visible light spectrum. Red is not “more blue” than blue is. Red is not “more spectrum” than blue is. When people discuss colours, they don’t talk about how “far along” the spectrum a colour is. They don’t say “my walls are on the high end of the spectrum” or “I look best in colours that are on the low end of the spectrum.” To read more on this story, click here: “It’s a Spectrum” Doesn’t Mean What You Think
She had a brain aneurysm and lived to paint the tale. Mumble Sauce is a summer 2019 column about how DMV Black communities uplift healing and creativity in the face of gentrification, displacement, policing, and incarceration. This is installment four of 10. Toni Lane says you can feel plants talking to you if you pay attention. Her houseplants had just finished cussing her out. The sprawling spider ivy and aloe had spent the day baking in the sunlight piercing the window of Lane’s studio apartment. The 65-year-old artist was busy making lino prints and hadn’t noticed they needed water. Lane tells me this as we nurse our half-finished bottles of Beck’s in her home, which is also her art studio. Stacks of canvases fill each corner. One of the walls is a large bookshelf holding self-made publications going as far back as the 1980s. To read more on this story, click here: Mumble Sauce: The Magnificent World of Toni Lane
A letter signed by all 13 D.C. councilmembers asks Mayor Muriel Bowser to "reexamine" the Department of Disability Service's decision to end a 14-year relationship with Georgetown University for services for people with developmental disabilities. The letter comes after public backlash to DDS's decision to not renew a $1.3 million contract with the university and instead provide some of those services within the agency and divide others up among other District contractors. DDS did not meaningfully engage with advocates, legal professionals, or people with disabilities, those advocates say. They also criticize the agency for a "piecemeal" transition plan, which was released after Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau scheduled a public roundtable. To read more on this story, click here:D.C. Council Calls on Mayor Muriel Bowser to Extend Disability Services Contract With Georgetown University
Hopefully DC can get in on this, if anyone has any leads, please let us know! We need to partner to address affordable and accessible housing in DC! Federal officials say they plan to dole out millions of dollars to help thousands of people with disabilities access housing in the community. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is offering up $150 million in grants that they say will help some 18,000 people with disabilities ages 18 up to 62 across the country. “Making sure people with disabilities have a decent, safe, and affordable place to call home is essential,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “This funding will help our local partners ensure residents with disabilities have the opportunity to fully enjoy their home while living independently.” Public housing agencies can apply for the grants to assist people with disabilities in their areas now through Sept. 5. HUD said it plans to award 300 grants ranging from $20,000 to $3 million. As part of the federal Mainstream Housing Choice Voucher Program, public housing agencies seeking the funding are encouraged to partner with health and human services organizations that can offer supports to people with disabilities who take part, federal housing officials said. To read more on this story, click here:Feds Earmark $150M For Disability Housing Assistance
Let's make sure everyone is registered and getting out to vote! #CripTheVote
Significantly more people with disabilities cast ballots last year, according to a new report suggesting that this demographic is poised to have a big impact in the 2020 presidential race. About half of all citizens with disabilities voted in the 2018 midterm elections, up 8.5 percentage points from the 40.8 percent who did so during the 2014 midterms. Those are the findings from a report out this month from Rutgers University analyzing data from the government’s Current Population Survey Voting Supplement. In 2018, 14.3 million people with disabilities cast ballots, more than the 11.7 million Latino voters that year and nearly as many as the 15.2 million African-American voters. To read more on this story, click here:Surge In Voters With Disabilities May Influence 2020 Election
The largest minority in the United States is people with disabilities. Gone on a trip lately? I did—last week. That’s when I realized that the travel industry is in what you might call the mullet stage of their accessibility makeover. That’s right—stuck in the 80s. Transportation in general—airlines, buses, subway systems, ride shares and railways—seem to need the most work. On the positive side, large attractions and destinations that serve families, as well as hotels that cater to big businesses, seem to be the pacesetters. How have they gotten ahead while other venues lag so far behind? Mostly by making simple changes. Equipping staff with a new set of skills, for example, autism training, is playing a big role. Technology upgrades are also important. Many conference and performance centers are now making it standard for meeting rooms to be equipped with a screen for captions and wired with a hearing loop. This helps people who use hearing aids to listen to lectures and performances with greater clarity. To read more on this story, click here:People With Disabilities Want To Help Make Over The Travel Industry
On July 20, 2019. Quality Trust celebrated the graduation of the Leadership, Mentoring and Negotiation training project they have facilitated the past three months. The advanced leadership training on the three topics was held for Advocacy Partners graduates and sponsored by the DC Developmental Disabilities Council. Congratulations to Robert, Bernard, Rossene, Nahyo, Caren, Germaine, Angelique, and Leonard. We know you will continue to lead and make a difference for your peers and community. Congratulations to Robert and Bernard Crawford and all others for continuing your leadership training. You all will continue to be champion advocates here in DC!
Keeping funding in place and increasing self advocacy voices! Federal legislation allocating over $1.8 billion in government spending on autism efforts is one step closer to being approved. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support, or Autism CARES, Act, by a voice vote Wednesday. The legislation, H.R. 1058, would renew a federal law that originated in 2006 and ensures support for research, prevalence tracking, screening, professional training and other government activities related to autism. As it stands, the current version of the Autism CARES Act is set to expire at the end of September, meaning that without action from Congress, programs established through the act will come to a halt. To read more on this story, click here:House Passes Autism Act
So true! Watch this, you will have a chuckle! This film takes a fun look at some of the interactions that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience in the community. We hope you enjoy the film and please feel free to share. Learn more about Open Future: https://www.openfuturelearning.org
Open Future, Adult Special Needs, Amy Brooks, Danielle Darby, Intellectual Disabilities, RCM of Washington, Susan Brooks,
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