Charlie Will Never Return: MTA to No Longer Run Long Island Bus

Posted on by
Reply

According to Newsday, the MTA voted today to end its contract with Long Island bus, despite protests from bus riders and pleas from transit advocates.   As of December 31st, a private company will take over the operations.

What private company?  It isn’t yet known.  This does not bode well for a smooth transition.

As I have said before, this disproportionately affects the disabled and the elderly, but as of today, all we can do is wait and see what happens.

And as to Charlie, mentioned in my headline above, he may never return.

Light it Up Blue Kicks Off World Awareness Autism Day

Posted on by
Reply

I was in Home Depot this morning, shopping for light bulbs, when I noticed a rack of blue light bulbs with a prominent sign “Light it Up Blue—Autism Speaks.”

 

In an effort to raise awareness of autism, Autism Speaks is seeking to “shine a light on autism by raising awareness of autism in communities across the United States and Canada.

 

Even the Empire State Building is turning its lights blue for this event!

 

For more about this event, check out www.lightitupblue.org and participate!

Long Island Bus Cuts–Public Hearing March 23

Posted on by
Reply

Call to Action

 

Everyone who has any family members or friends who are disabled or elderly must attend this public hearing  at Hofstra University March 23, 2011 at 3PM to protest the plans to cut 25 of Long Island’s bus routes and 20% of Able-Ride’s service cuts.

Cuts unfairly target Long Island’s Disabled Riders

 

The MTA is set to vote in April on its plan to cut 25 , or almost half, of its Long Island bus service routes in July.  The MTA is claiming, and perhaps rightfully so, that it is unfair that Nassau County only contributes $9.1 million to the Long Island Bus annual budget of $141 million.  In contrast, Suffolk County contributes $24 million to its $48 million bus budget.

These service cuts would strand 16,000 riders, many of whom are disabled, and unable to afford taxis.  Currently, the bus services more than 100,000 riders each day.

My daughter takes three buses in each direction to get to her classes at Nassau Community College.  It already takes her more than two hours each way.  Last semester she took an evening course and often missed the last bus and had to take a taxi to get home.

Disabled to Lose Able Ride Buses

 

According to Newsday, as many as 18%, or 200 of Able-Ride’s 1130 daily riders will no longer be eligible for door-to-door service if the proposed cuts are made.

I urge everyone to attend the public hearings at Hofstra University March 23, 2011 at 3PM.  You can take the N46 or the N47 bus lines to get there.

Special Education Success at School for Disabled

Posted on by
Reply

The Henry Visconti School, a New York State supported special education school that prides itself on treating its students with dignity and respect, was recently praised in the New York Times for allowing severely disabled students to succeed in school through the use of technology and on-site medical care.

According to the school website, the Henry Viscardi School is a teaching community of students, parents, teachers, staff, and volunteers dedicated to empowering students with physical disabilities and health impairments to enable them to be active, independent, self sufficient participants in society.

I’m proud to know this school exists in our neighborhood, and is a fine example of how our tax dollars are spent to help the special needs community.

Chalimony: When Divorce Meets Special Needs

Posted on by
Reply

As many parents of special needs kids know, raising a disabled child is much more expensive than raising typical children. I have previously discussed some of the extraordinary costs in my post on Divorce and Special Needs Children. Many states mandate that parents of a disabled child continue supporting these children, even after they are no longer minors. New York does not follow this mandate, allowing the state to support our disabled children instead. However, if the child is living with a divorced parent, then that parent often has to shoulder many of the costs — with no contribution from the other parent. After the child reaches the age of 21 in New York, there is no way to force that other parent to shoulder any of the financial burden.

An Amazing Statistic

Karen Czapanskiy, a Professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, has proposed a solution she calls “Chalimony” . She states “Parents of a child with autism, on average, have lifetime earnings of nearly a million dollars less than other parents.”

That is astounding. But it is understandable. Many of us put our careers on hold to take care of our children, to drive them to doctor and therapy appointments, to ensure they are cared for properly. Even after the children are grown, even if many of them do not need hands-on care anymore, there are years missing from career paths.

Czapanskiy suggests: “[Chalimony] would be available to the parent with whom the disabled or chronically ill child lives most of the time if that caregiver is unable to be employed full-time because of the child’s special needs. The child’s other parent could avoid paying chalimony if he or she were meeting enough of the child’s needs to permit the primary parent to work full-time.”

I would take it a step further. Any parent who has stayed home with a special needs child and missed out on the opportunity to advance a career, also deserves chalimony.

What’s in a Name? Rosa’s Law Passed

Posted on by
Reply

Federal statutes will no longer use the term “mental retardation” instead substituting the phrase “intellectual disability.”  President Obama officially signed into law this October a bill that has spent months wending its way through Congress.

Who is Rosa?

Rosa is a now 9-year old Maryland girl with Down’s Syndrome.  Her mother took issue with the school calling her daughter retarded.  “There hasn’t been one ounce of opposition. People had already gotten rid of the term, except in slang,” Rosa’s mother, Nina Marcellino said.

Why is the Language we use Important?

Peter V. Berns, CEO of The ARC (the battle to abolish the term “retarded” has been going on for decades, and in the 1980s families and people with developmental disabilities changed the name of Association for Retarded Citizens to ARC.) “We understand that language plays a crucial role in how people with intellectual disabilities are perceived and treated in society,” Berns said in a statement. “Changing how we talk about people with disabilities is a critical step in promoting and protecting their basic civil and human rights.”

Will New York Ever Become Politically Correct?

As I have said before, New York is one of the few states that have not yet removed the phrase “retardation” from one of the largest organizations of its kind: the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD).

It is time New York joined the Federal government and 44 other states in removing this arcane language.

Apple’s iPad Proving to be a Boon to Special Needs Families

Posted on by
Reply

Children with speech and communication problems are benefiting from apps designed for the iPad.

“Before she got an iPad at age two, Caleigh Gray couldn’t respond to yes-or-no questions. Now Caleigh, who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, uses a $190 software application that speaks the words associated with pictures she touches on the “tablet” device.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s $599 device threatens to make obsolete specialized speech machines that can cost as much as $15,000: http://online.wsj.com/article

New Long Island Special Needs Radio Show

Posted on by
Reply

Monday Evenings at 6:30PM EST

Special Needs Long Island is a weekly radio program dedicated to the special needs community on Long Island.  It is a forum where the latest information involving special needs will be provided.  Featured guests are from special needs organizations, professionals practicing in the field, families and individuals with special needs. The program is hosted by Jeff Silverman, Director of Special Needs Planning for the Center for Wealth Preservation in Syosset, New York. He can be reached by e-mail at SpecialNeedsLI@gmail.com or at (516) 682-3363

Tonight’s Special Guest is Me!

Join “Special Needs Long Island,” the radio program focused on the Special Needs Community, as we interview special needs planning attorney Ellen Victor, Esq., this Monday, October 11 at 6:30 p.m!

Questions can be called into Ellen during the show at (631)888-8811.

Ellen is uniquely qualified to answer your questions, as a special needs attorney (http://www.victorlawfirm.com/), blogger (http://longislandspecialneedslawyer.com/), and mother of a special needs child.

Here’s your chance to ask your special needs question of an attorney who focuses on this area of the law — for free.

Questions like:

• Why do I need a special needs trust?

• How do I choose a trustee for my special needs trust?

•Do I still need an SNT if my child isn’t on public benefits?

So be sure to tune in at 6:30 p.m. on Long Island’s WGBB 1240 AM.  For those out of the local broadcast range, or wanting the best clarity, the program is simulcast on the internet at www.am1240wgbb.com

Should We Celebrate Mental Illness Awareness Week?

Posted on by
Reply

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) celebrates Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) during the first week in October.  In 1990, the U.S. Congress established MIAW in recognition of NAMI’s  efforts to raise mental illness awareness.

MIAW has become a NAMI tradition. According to NAMI, the week “presents an opportunity to all NAMI state organizations and affiliates across the country to work together in communities to achieve the NAMI mission through outreach, education and advocacy.”

The Good

Honoring the challenges encountered by those with mental illness and celebrating the achievements of loved ones with mental illness is certainly cause to celebrate.  The opportunity to raise awareness of mental illness promotes early intervention and exposes discrimination.  Other organizations also celebrate this week to promote their own interests.  Thursday, October 7, 2010 is designated as Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day.  The National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding falls this year on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010.  These organizations believe  promoting Mental Illness Awareness Week is an opportunity to change attitudes and to raise money to promote further awareness.

The Bad

How could raising awareness of mental health and celebrating achievements be negative in any way?  Several strong stances have been taken against celebrating this week.  In an article well worth reading in full, DJ Jaffe suggests that hosting an event to reduce the stigma of mental illness is the wrong way to  look at this.   He states there is no stigma to mental illness, only discrimination.  He suggests that attempting to reduce stigma is detrimental because it diverts attention away from a significant issue; the most seriously mentally ill.

The International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, Inc. takes issue with NAMI’s emphasis on psychiatric medication and main stream psychiatry.  They suggest that NAMI’s approach to psychiatric medication used on adults and children may do more harm than good.

What Do You Think?

Raising awareness of mental illness is important to me.  I also believe that mental illness should not be considered a stigma, anymore than race or religion is.  As a parent, I welcome any research into using psychiatry to lower medication use, but resent being made to feel that I am giving a child medication to make my life easier.

Where do you stand on Mental Illness Awareness Week?