Institute for Disability Studies
Family Health Notes
November 2017
Inside this issue:
1) Health and Education Empowerment Training – Nov. 14, McComb
2) 2018 Affordable Care Act Enrollment
3) Family Voices Resource eBlast
4) Quiz for Youth: Are You Ready to Transition to Adult Health Care?
5) Educational Advocates: A Guide for Parents - Now in Spanish
6) Expression of Language in Down Syndrome
7) SSI Payment to Increase in 2018
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1) Health and Education Empowerment Training – Nov. 14, McComb
Parents, advocates, educators and medical professionals can benefit from this training which will feature local and statewide resource information. The free Health and Education Empowerment Training for families of children with disabilities will be held on Tues., Nov. 14, from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the McComb Public Library at 1022 Virginia Avenue in McComb. Learn about care coordination and medical home, transition, advocacy and communication, People First Language and disability etiquette. This training is sponsored by the Mississippi Family to Family project of the Institute for Disability Studies, The Arc of Mississippi and LIFE of Mississippi. For more information, contact Family to Family Parent Coordinator Keishawna Smith at 1.866.883.4474 or ksmith@ihl.state.ms.us.
2) 2018 Affordable Care Act Enrollment
Open enrollment into the Affordable Care Act starts November 1, 2017, and runs through December 15, 2017. Plans purchased during open enrollment go into effect January 1, 2018. You can apply online, by phone at 1.800.318.2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325), in-person or with a paper application. For general assistance, visit https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/#/results?q=MISSISSIPPI&lat=0&lng=0&state=MS&mp=FFM or https://www.healthcare.gov/contact-us/. For additional information or questions in Mississippi, call the Mississippi Family2Family Parent Coordinator at 601.432.6929.
3) Family Voices Resource eBlast
The Family Voices Resource is a free monthly e-digest of links for new resources for families of children with special Health care needs. Family Voices is a national organization and grassroots network of families and friends of children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities. Family Voices promotes partnership with families—including those of cultural, linguistic and geographic diversity—to improve healthcare services and policies for children. To view the November e-digest, visit http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1102887255338&ca=3020355c-9c5f-4755-acaa-dcb12b3e7e81. To sign up to receive the Resource, visit
4) Quiz for Youth: Are You Ready to Transition to Adult Health Care?
Got Transition has created a Youth Health Care Transition Quiz for youth and young adults to find out how ready they are to transition to adult care. The quiz asks about major issues important during transition years. It also gives tips and resources to address many health care transition questions, including how to add their medical information to their smartphone, what legal changes happen at 18, and how to sign up for health insurance. To take the quiz, visit http://gottransition.org/youthfamilies/HCTquiz.cfm.
5) Educational Advocates: A Guide for Parents - Now in Spanish
CADRE (The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education) is offering a new parent guide to help families navigate the special education system, with tips for hiring an educational advocate and questions to consider. Additional resources are also included. To review the guide in English, visit http://www.cadreworks.org/sites/default/files/resources/Advocate-Parent-Guide-Final-2017-web.pdf. For Spanish, visit http://www.cadreworks.org/sites/default/files/resources/Defensores%20educativos-Una%20guia%20para%20padres-JULY17_0.pdf.
6) Expression of Language in Down Syndrome
This new resource, a 25-minute video, explains successful strategies and practices for language development and explores the use of sign language, visual learning, vocabulary, non-verbal communication, games and language obstacles in young children with Down Syndrome. To view the video, visit http://www.dsrf.org/programs-&-resources/our-videos/communication-video-1--understanding-and-expression-of-language-in-down-syndrome.
7) SSI Payment to Increase in 2018
People with disabilities receiving Supplemental Security Income from Social Security are set to see their largest rise in benefits in years. The Social Security Administration announced that payments will increase 2 percent in 2018. For more information, visit https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/latestCOLA.html.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Family Health Notes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Family Health Notes is sponsored by the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), Mississippi’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at The University of Southern Mississippi. IDS provides university training, community service activities, research and information that promote the independence, productivity, and community inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families. For more information about IDS, visit http://www.usm.edu/disability-studies or call 1.888.671.0051 (TTY). To make a tax-deductible gift to IDS, visit http://www.usm.edu/disability-studies/support-ids.
The Family-to-Family Health Information and Education Center (F2F) is a family-focused, family managed resource center that empowers families of Mississippi children with special health care needs to be partners in the decisions made concerning the health of their children. F2F is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (GR#H84MC07948).
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