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NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
DECEMBER, 2011
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Happy Holidays!
How blessed we are to be able to share the bounty of our friendship with the Civitan Club of Aurora with our members via Thanksgiving food baskets for 20 families, Holiday gift bags for 26 individuals, and financial support of our continued work on crime victimization of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities! What a gift the Club and its members are! Many other organizations and individuals are also supporting member families these holidays -- such bounty we are blessed to have to share!
And speaking of gifts -- we have one for you, our members! We are preparing a mailing to each of you that includes a 15% discount card for your arc Thrift Stores shopping through June 30, 2012. Besides helping to insure that the advocacy support you rely on is here for you and others in the developmental disability community, your membership provides you this shopping discount. It DOES pay to be a member of The Arc of Aurora!
On behalf of The Arc of Aurora Board and staff of four, happy, warm, blessed holidays! Cheers to a great 2012!
Jean Solis, Editor Director of Marketing and Development |
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Policy Profile: Financial and Emotional Impact of Medical Bills 
The Arc of Aurora is partnering with the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI) to gather information about the financial and emotional impacts of medical bills. If your situation is described below and you are willing to share your story, contact The Arc of Aurora Executive Director Darla Stuart, dsarcaurora@aol.com or via telephone, 720.213.1420.
1. Someone who is uninsured or underinsured and is facing excessive hospital bills.
2. Someone who is uninsured or underinsured and is facing excessive hospital bills and was able to participate in a payment plan, or would have been helped by a payment plan if they had been given that option.
3. Someone who qualified for the hospital's charity care or discount policy but wasn't made aware of it at the time
4. Someone who is uninsured and lost his/her house or filed for bankruptcy because of excessive hospital bills.
5. Someone who is facing excessively high hospital bills and doing his/her best to pay them.
6. Someone who has been harassed by debt collectors/collection agency because of a hospital bill.
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Hot Topic:
NEURONS GROWN FROM SKIN CELLS MAY HOLD CLUES TO AUTISM
Rare syndrome's workings could help explain how brain wiring goes awry -- National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study
Potential clues to how autism miswires the brain are emerging from a study of a rare, purely genetic form of the disorders that affects fewer than 20 people worldwide. Using cutting-edge "disease-in a-dish" technology, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have grown patients' skin cells into neurons to discover what goes wrong in the brain in Timothy Syndrome. Affected children often show symptoms of autism spectrum disorders along with a constellation of physical problems.
Abnormalities included changes in the composition of cells in the cortex, the largest brain structure in humans, and of neurons that secrete two key chemical messengers. Neurons that make long-distance connections between the brain's hemispheres tended to be in short supply.
Most patients with Timothy Syndrome meet diagnostic criteria for an autism spectrum disorder. Yet, unlike most cases of autism, Timothy Syndrome is known to be caused by a single genetic mutation.
"Studying the consequences of a single mutation, compared to multiple genes with small effects, vastly simplifies the task of pinpointing causal mechanisms," explained Ricardo Dolmetsch, Ph.D., of Stanford University, a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) grantee who led the study. His work was partially funded by a NIH Director's Pioneer Award.
Dolmetsch and colleagues report on their findings Nov. 27, 2011 in the journal Nature Medicine.
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The Rest of the Story 
Parent to Parent of Colorado's fall newsletter includes a policy update and cover story, "Wisdom for the Journey": "You're at the beginning of a long journey, and we all remember when we were in your shoes. Lots of recommendations for this or that will be coming your way, and I remember trying them all just sure there was that one magic pill out there for my son. No one therapy is perfect for all, most people need..."
The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities has released The Time Is Now: Embracing Employment FIRST.
The National Youth Leadership Network announces: OUR FIRST EVER DISABILITY CULTURE ZINE! The National Youth Leadership Network is a youth-led organization that works to build power and community among young people with disabilities. This summer, our Zine Leadership Team put out a call for submissions to create an online zine about disability culture. We received over 40 submissions from young people with disabilities all over the United States. Some were students. Others were poets. Everyone had a lot to say about disability culture. Our Zine Leadership Team edited submissions and compiled all the work into a zine. We are excited to share our zine with you. We learned so much about media-making in the process: mostly that by participating in disability culture, we are creating it...
Adam's Camp's 2012 Summer Program schedule, information and applications are now available.
New resource for individuals within the DD community, family members, provider agencies, and anyone who provides supports or services for the DD community: www.MyAbilityCircle.com. The network provides Resource Forums to ask questions, to provide answers, and to share knowledge. The News tab provides current newsfeeds relevant for the network's target audience. The Circle is a community blog for anyone to submit informational articles to be shared in a blog format or you can create your own personal blog by becoming a member.
From The Special Ed Advocate, November 15, 2011
12 Things Every Military Parent Should Know
Military families who have children with special needs face unique problems. Ensuring their children receive the education they are entitled to by law is sometimes difficult. Although military children may not be educated in the U.S., they are still entitled to a Free, Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). This issue of the Special Ed Advocate offers comprehensive information, tools, and resources to help military families meet the needs of exceptional children.
Peak Parent Center's winter newsletter includes articles on getting ready for the holidays and writing an inclusive IEP.
CAREGIVING: The Growing Contributions and Costs of Family Caregiving
AARP has published an updated estimate of national and individual state values of family caregiving. The estimated economic value of family members' unpaid contributions to their loved ones' caregiving was estimated at $450 billion in 2009, up from an estimated $375 billion in 2007. The report also explains the kinds of contributions most frequently made by family caregivers and details the costs and consequences of providing family care. The article concludes by providing recommendations for policies that better support caregivers. Looking for a job? Check out the resources through the Aurora Job Network. Parents Encouraging Parents (PEP) Conferences are family-centered events designed to offer support, information and education to both parents and professionals who work with children with disabilities across Colorado. PEP promotes the partnerships between parents and professionals that are essential in supporting and including children with disabilities in schools and communities. 2012 PEP Conferences will be held: * February 2-4, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado * April 26-28, 2012 (Location to be determined) Click here for more information about PEP and to complete the preliminary application. You may also call 303-866-6846 or 1-877-834-0588 toll-free for general information.
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Members' Corner
 Parents' Group Board member and parent Myrrena Schwegmann is facilitating the next parents' group meeting on Tuesday, December 13, from 9:30 - 11:00AM. This meeting will NOT be held at The Arc of Aurora office. Questions, meeting location information and/or RSVP to Myrrena at 303.750.4598 by Monday, December 12. As part of its work with the Collaborative to Address Crime Victimization of People with Developmental Disabilities, The Arc of Aurora developed a Communication Quick Tips tool that is targeted to first responders, other law enforcement personnel, victim advocates, and prosecutors who may encounter victims of crime who have an intellectual or developmental disability. The PDF version of this tool is available here. |
Spotlight On ... The Civitan Club of Aurora
Thanksgiving food baskets for 20 families; Christmas gift bags for 26 individuals; a financial contribution in honor of The Arc of Aurora's legacy working with and for crime victims with intellectual and developmental disabilities... All of these are 2011 contributions of the Civitan Club of Aurora without whose support we would not be as blessed as we are. And our relationship with the Club goes back more than a decade! What a great resource the Club and its members are to our community of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Civitan Club of Aurora members --- you ROCK! Thank you!
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 Did you know that the majority of The Arc of Aurora's annual operating budget comes from a portion of the proceeds from the sale of items donated to the arc Thrift Stores? Call 303.238.5263 to schedule a pickup of your gently used items and also help The Arc of Aurora! |
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The Arc of Aurora
Mission
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The Arc of Aurora is a membership association that provides individual and systems change advocacy through information and referral; community education; and individual, family and class support for and with people with developmental disabilities and their families.
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