Institute for Disability Studies
Family Health Notes
December 2013
Inside this issue:
1) Social Security, SSI Benefits to Increase in 2014
2) Improvements to HealthCare.gov
3) Tip Sheet - Holidays: Strategies for Success
4) New Manual - Friends: Connecting People with Disabilities and Community Members
5) Resources to Meet the Needs of Young Children of Veteran Families
6) Participate in an Autism Spectrum Healthcare Survey
7) Video to be Used in School Curriculum
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1) Social Security, SSI Benefits to Increase in 2014
Monthly payments for people with disabilities receiving benefits from Social Security, including Supplemental Security Income will increase next year. The Social Security Administration says benefits will rise by 1.5%. For more information, read this article from the December 2, issue of “Disability Scoop,” http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/10/30/social-security-rise-2014/18851/.
2) Improvements to HealthCare.gov
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports that with improvements to the technical problems encountered at the HealthCare.gov website, 90% of users are now able to create accounts. Other options for completing an application include the toll-free Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. Call Center representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users should dial 1-855-889-4325. Local counselors are also available, and paper application forms can be downloaded and mailed. For all information, view http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USCMSHIM/bulletins/96e3c1.
3) Tip Sheet – Holidays: Strategies for Success
The Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI) recently added a new tip sheet in its Making Life Easier series. This series of tip sheets is designed specifically for parents and caregivers. The new tip sheet, Holidays: Strategies for Success, contains valuable information on how to make often challenging events easier to navigate, and even enjoyable, for both caregivers and children. View the tip sheet at http://www.challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/documents/life_easier_holidays%20and%20tipcard.pdf.
4) New Manual - Friends: Connecting People with Disabilities and Community Members
Published by the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota, this new manual provides concrete, "how-to" strategies for supporting relationships between people with disabilities and other community members. It describes why such friendships are important to people with disabilities and why it is important to promote community belonging and membership. The manual includes specific activities to guide users in creating a plan for connecting people. Designed for agency staff, the manual can be used by parents, support coordinators, teachers, people with disabilities, and others to support community relationships. View the manual at http://rtc.umn.edu/docs/Friends_Activity_worksheets.pdf.
5) Resources to Meet the Needs of Young Children of Veteran Families
The ZERO TO THREE website of the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families has released a series of resources to meet the needs and interests of the young children of veteran families and the professional who serve them. These resources include a professional guide, parent booklets, and flyers. For more information, visit http://www.zerotothree.org/military-families/docs/veteran-families-resources.html.
6) Participate in an Autism Spectrum Healthcare Survey
Are you on the autism spectrum? AASPIRE, a partnership between people on the autism spectrum, researchers, healthcare providers, and family members, has created a healthcare toolkit to try to help people on the autism spectrum get better healthcare. If you are an adult on the autism spectrum, live in the U.S., and have a primary care provider or regular doctor, you are invited to try out the online healthcare tool. You may also participate if you are a support person for an adult on the autism spectrum who cannot participate him/herself. As part of the study, you can create a personalized accommodations report to help your healthcare providers understand how to better serve you. You will also have access to a website with information and worksheets about things like how to prepare for appointments, how to communicate better with your provider, how to follow up after a visit, and what your rights are in healthcare. You will take a 20-minute survey before and after using the toolkit. If you take part in the study, you will receive a $30 Amazon.com gift card or check. To take the survey, go to http://aaspire.org/?p=projects&c=hc3_screening.
7) Video to be Used in School Curriculum
The video "One Sibling's Act Leads to Change" has been accepted as part of the curriculum on disability awareness for Newton, Massachusetts public schools. Approximately 900 fifth grade students across 15 elementary schools in the district will see the film annually as part of a unit on intellectual disabilities that teaches students to "see the person and not the disability." This video is part of the National Down Syndrome Society's (NDSS) My Great Story Video Project that features 10 short videos based on submitted stories public awareness campaign. The goal of the My Great Story campaign is to ignite a new way of thinking about people with Down syndrome by sharing stories written by and about them. View the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgPUAL67-qY.
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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 www.usm/edu/ids or call 1.888.671.0051 (TTY). To make a tax-deductible gift to IDS, visit www.usm.edu/ids/supportus.html.
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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