“REPOSTED WITH PERMISSION. ORIGINALLY APPEARED AT THE POLICY IMPACT PROJECT. AUTHORED BY ANNE ROUX AT www.policyimpact.org Renewing Autism CARES: Addressing Critical Needs for Autistic Individuals and Families The federal Autism CARES Act, which has existed for the past 17 years, is due for renewal by September 30, 2024. This law authorizes funding and guidance for…
By Nicole LeBlanc, Chairperson for the 2024 Capitol Hill Developmental Disabilities Resource Fair Hello Everyone , My name is Nicole LeBlanc. I’m on the autism spectrum and a survivor of Low Expectation Syndrome. I’ve worked in the disability field for over 16 years. This year, the theme of Developmental Disability Awareness Month (DDAM)…
By Catherine Citta, JPKF Public Policy Fellow Jon Meyers, Executive Director for the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, participated in an interview with Catherine Citta, 2023 Public Policy Fellow with the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, to discuss Arizona’s successful policy change for child and adolescent family caregivers. Arizona received a temporary extension in…
By Catherine Citta, JPKF Public Policy Fellow The Biden-Harris Administration hosts state, local, Tribal and community leaders to the White House “Communities in Action” events to demonstrate how the administration is delivering results for the American people. In November 2023, Julianne Horntvedt, Executive Director for the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities was…
By Naomi Moore, Fall 2023 NACDD Policy Intern On Sept 12, 2023, a bipartisan bill was introduced by Senator Brown and Senator Cassidy called the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Savings Penalty Elimination Act. Currently with Supplemental Security Income (SSI), there is an assets limit that has been stuck at $2,000 for individuals and…
By Jennifer Johnson, Deputy Commissioner, Administration on Disabilities As we continue to celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM), we are highlighting some of the many ways that ACL is working to break down barriers to create more inclusive communities so that all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) can do well and succeed. We…
By Catherine Citta, JPKF Public Policy Fellow The Biden-Harris Administration hosts state, local, Tribal and community leaders to the White House “Communities in Action” events to demonstrate how the administration is delivering results for the American people. In September 2023, Darryle Powell, Executive Director for the Alabama Council on Developmental Disabilities (ACDD) was invited…
On Super Tuesday, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Republican colleagues to support critical voting rights legislation that was introduced in the Senate last week. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would update and restore critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights…
New TA Opportunities and Resources To Address the Dire Shortage of Direct Care Professionals Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced several new initiatives and resources from ACL’s Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center to address the dire shortage of professionals who provide the services many older adults and people with disabilities…
By Alison Barkoff, Performing the duties of ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging Every March, ACL joins the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) and its partners to observe Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM). This year’s theme, “A World of Opportunities,” focuses on ACL and NACDD’s shared goal of removing obstacles…