Indiana Institute FYI

Week of May 21, 2007

FYI at a Glance

· Employment Specialist Training (EST) for August 2007
· Priority Medicaid Waiver Now Available to People with Developmental Disabilities with xCaregivers Age 80 and Older
· Speaking of Disabilities
· Library Circulation Policy Revised
· Library Corner

Coming Up

Employment Specialist Training (EST) for August 2007: First year job coaches, teachers, job developers, parents, mental health professionals, vocational coordinators, state agency personnel, Work One Staff, and interested others, mark your calendars and plan to attend the Employment Specialist Training (EST) scheduled for August 7-9 and September 4-6, 2007 at Easter Seals Crossroads, Indianapolis.

Attendees learn best practices in job and career development, employment support planning, ecological analysis, follow-along , and emerging industry trends. EST is a six-day training split into two sessions held one month apart. An exit test is required for participants seeking certification. Individuals who attend all days of both sessions and successfully complete the exit test receive a competency-based certificate from Indiana University. CEUs and CRUs are available. To date, EST training team has trained and certified over 2,000 employment specialists in the state of Indiana.

Additional training dates and location for 2007:

November 13-15 and December 11-13, 2007
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Bloomington, IN

Registration fee is regularly $300.00 per person. Act now and receive a $200.00 discount! Questions, want to register? Contact Kay Moore via e-mail at moorel@indiana.edu or call (812) 855-6508.

Medicaid Waiver Update from The Arc of Indiana

Priority Medicaid Waiver Now Available to People with Developmental Disabilities with Caregivers Age 80 and Older: All local offices of the Bureau of Developmental Disability Services have been notified that any individual meeting the state definition of Developmentally Disabled (DD), and the federal criteria for ICF/MR Level of Care (qualifying for admission into an ICF/MR), who is also living with a primary caregiver age 80 or older, may receive a Priority Medicaid Waiver Slot and be served under the DD Waiver. Following is information The Arc of Indiana received from DDRS/BDDS regarding this important issue. 

On May 10, 2007, generic informational letters (dated April 18, 2007) were mailed from the BDDS Central Office to alert more than 1,440 individuals of the new and recently approved Priority Criteria under the DD Waiver. The letters were sent to individuals, age 55 and older, due to the strong possibility that they may be living with parents and caregivers who are age 80 or older. 

The letter advised these individuals that a second, more detailed mailing would soon be received via certified mail, so that the recipients would be willing to accept the certified mail, and understand that this represents a positive and important opportunity for services to those who may qualify. The certified mailing contains a more detailed letter as well as an individualized response form embedded with the customer identification number of the individual.

The Central BDDS office realizes that some individuals who see the April 18 th date on their generic letter may be concerned they have missed out on the receipt of their certified mail. Central office has instructed local BDDS offices to assure anyone who calls with this concern that the mailing of the generic letter was delayed and that the certified mail should follow shortly. 

A second mailing of up to 400 additional generic letters, followed by a subsequent mailing of corresponding individualized letters and response forms, will occur on May 17th and 22nd after the Waiver Unit has exhausted all avenues to secure missing addresses for these additional individuals.

BDDS Central Office also recognizes that there will be other individuals who qualify for the new Priority Criteria and will not receive a letter notifying them of the availability of the Priority Waiver. Anyone meeting all criteria will be eligible for the priority slot. In these cases, BDDS offices are being asked to indicate that the primary caregiver is age 80 or older and obtain a required Affidavit that stipulates the primary caregiver is age 80 or older. Please note that the required Affidavit is posted on The Arc of Indiana web site at http:// www.arcind.org, click on Medicaid Waiver Updates.

Feature

Speaking of Disabilities: "People first" is the most important principle in communicating with and about people with disabilities, said Vicki Pappas, Director of the Center for Planning and Policy Studies at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. This standard applies in a literal sense when describing people - "person with autism" is appropriate; "autistic person" is not - and in a figurative sense when interacting with someone who has a disability. "People with disabilities would prefer to be seen as people, not as objects of pity or as heroes who have overcome adversity," she said. "When you meet someone who has a disability, say hello, make eye contact, and give yourself time to get to know that person like you would with any new acquaintance." Below are more of Pappas' tips for effective communication.

DO use person-first language, especially in print. Regardless of the particular disability, put the person before the condition in every description. For example: "man who has cerebral palsy," "girl who is deaf," "teacher with epilepsy."

DON'T mention a disability if it is not relevant. "If you are writing an article about a professor's research, and that person happens to use a wheelchair, you don't need to mention it unless it relates somehow to the research process. This is just the same principle you would use in deciding whether to mention that someone is Jewish or Latino," Pappas said.

DO use specific terminology. If it is important to describe a person's disability, be straightforward and avoid terminology like "handicapable," "differently abled" or "special." This type of verbiage comes across as condescending, Pappas said.

DON'T make someone a hero for an ordinary feat. Avoid characterizing everyday activities as huge accomplishments for people with disabilities. "I'm all for including a bride with hearing loss in a wedding special, but when the headline is 'Deaf Woman Gets Married,' that's insulting," Pappas said.

DO greet people at their eye level. When talking with a person who uses a wheelchair, it is appropriate to sit or crouch down in order to talk face-to-face, Pappas said. "Even if you are speaking through an interpreter, it's important to make that direct eye contact," she said. Similarly, it is best to approach a person who is blind by announcing your presence.

DON'T worry about common phrases. "It is not a big deal if you say 'See you later' to someone who is blind. No one is going to be offended by these types of expressions. Relax and use your natural manner of speaking," she said.

DO respect personal space. "It's okay to offer assistance in a polite manner such as holding a door open. Beyond that it is best to ask first rather than to rush in and grab a person who appears to be struggling," Pappas said. A final note on personal space: a wheelchair should be approached as though it were part of the body - don't sit or lean on someone's wheelchair unless you know them very well.

Library Circulation Policy

Library Circulation Policy Revised: In an effort to ensure our patrons receive quality, up-to-date information, CeDIR has revised its policy affecting renewals of library materials. Beginning May 11, 2007, the number of times an item can be renewed has been changed to five. This means that when a patron renews a book or video for the sixth time, the item will fail to renew. At that point, it must be returned to the library. Patrons can check out the material again as soon as it is returned to CeDIR. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Contact us at cedir@indiana.edu with any comments or suggestions on how we may continue to improve our services.

Library Corner

New Items: The following new materials may be borrowed by Indiana residents from the Center for Disability Information and Referral (CeDIR) at the Institute. To check out materials, contact the library at 1-800-437-7924, send e-mail to cedir@indiana.edu, or visit us at 2853 East Tenth Street in Bloomington.

Boult, B. (2006). 176 ways to involve parents: Practical strategies for partnering with families. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Jacobson, J.W. (Ed.). (2005). Controversial therapies for developing disabilities: Fad, fashion, and science in professional practice. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.

Silva, J.A. (2004). Teaching inclusive mathematics to special learners, K-6. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Return to the Indiana Institute FYI Index

This material is available in alternative formats upon request