|
|
|
The Arc of
Northern Virginia Newsletter |
ReSources |
|
 Greetings!
On Tuesday the 24th of June Erin, Nancy Mercer, and Jill Eagle went to Richmond for a meeting with Lee Price about are bill MR to ID there was a little problem with our bill but unfortunately the bill will pass until 2009 or 2011. Myself and Jill Eagle worked very hard with MR to ID bill. The Arc of Northern Virginia does not want to hear the word Mental Retardation it can really hurt people and anyone with a disability but there is a replacement for MR to ID be to be called Intellectual Disability. We had much power to fight MR to ID we did very quickly
Sincerely,
Erin Thompson
| |
SOMETHING for EVERYONE
Websites That Have Caught my Attention This Week
http://www.hope-house.org/We are people with developmental disabilities, who want nothing more than to control our own destinies and live in our own communities. . . . http://www.hcbs.org/Infrastructure development resources for people with disabilities and older adults. A clearinghouse for the Community Living Collaborative. |
July 4th
Happy 4th of July!
July 10-11
SSI/SSDI Workshop
|
Intellectual Disability Committee Meeting
Fairfax County Government Center
July 10,
7 to 9pm.
Room 232 at the
12000 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, Virginia 22035
This would be a great meeting for all families who are interested in funding for their child after high school and in the future to attend.
Notice Of Public Review and Comment Regarding Proposed Fiscal Year 2009
Performace Contract Between Fairfax Falls Church Community Services Board CSB and the Commonwhealth of Virginia Department of Mental Health Mental Retardation and Substance
Wednesday July 23 7:30 Pm
Fairfax County Goverment Center 12000 Goverment Center Parkway, Fairfax Virginia
Conference Rooms 9/10
Email wwwcsb@fairfaxcounty.gov
Phone 703-324-7000
| |
| Three Generations of Imbeciles
by Rick Hodges 
June 27 & 28
Actors with real disabilities - Featuring Lisa Good & Jill Egle, will portray characters caught up in the eugenics movement in Virginia, when hundreds of people with intellectual disabilities were sterilized against their will, in the Barcroft Player's production of Three Generations of Imbeciles on June 27 and 28, at 7:30 pm at the Barcroft Community House, 800 South Buchanan Street in Arlington (wheelchair accessible). Tickets are 8$ at the door, no advance tickets sold. The play is not suitable for children under 12.
For more information click here or email Rick Hodges at threegenplay@verizon.net.
NO advance tickets, only 80 seats in this theatre.
|
Our Work is STILL Not Done!
Dear Proactive Parents,
Great turnout for the June 2 Public Hearing, but we are not finished yet, and time is running out. COMMENTS ON SPECIAL EDUCATION REGULATIONS DEADLINE JUNE 30th. Please add your voice -- read below for more info...
1) From the The Virginia Coalition for Students with Disabilities ...
The comment period on these Regulations will end on June 30, 2008. Protect the rights of students and parents by making your voice heard. Your comments are vitally important. You can also state your agreement with other comments that have been made by groups, such as those of the Coalition. The Coalition comments can be viewed at: http://www.wrightslaw.com/virginia/VCSWD.Comments.0805.pdf
You can email your own comments one of two ways. Send them directly to the Virginia Department of Education at ReviseSpedRegs@doe.virginia.gov
Or
You can send them to the Town Hall web site, where you can post your comments directly online, and where they will be immediately available for public review.
http://www.townhall.virginia.gov/L/comments.cfm?stageid=4353
We urge you to send in comments today before it is too late! Thanks for your advocacy!!
2. FROM The Arc of NoVA -- Please check out the latest on our website regarding the Proposed Special Ed Regs. http://www.thearcofnova.org/spec_ed_regs/
Forward this, print it and display it and post it everywhere you can! We are still working on the last input and will be calling on you to act again before the end of the month.
Remember, please contact your legislators. Many have mentioned that they knocked on your door prior to elections. Be sure to call on them and request that they speak up!
Tia Marsili
Director of Projects and Community Navigation
The Arc of Northern Virginia
Creating "A Life Like Yours"
|
Dear Friends of The Arc of Northern
Virginia:
Self Advocates from all over the Commonwealth of Virginia Have
A Life, Have a Dream and Have A Name-They face
issues in their every day lives that can be very challenging without the right
supports.
In past years, advocates, professionals and parents have
taken the lead in educating the legislators about the needs in the community
that supports people with intellectual disabilities. This year a new group of
advocates are going to take the lead; SELF ADVOCATES of all abilities.
Our mission this summer is to invite each of you, our
leaders, to come to The Arc of Northern Virginia and join us in conversation
and light snacks in our "I have a dream, I have a life, I have a name Café."
Constituents from your districts will join Jill Egle' and
Erin Thompson during the time of your visit to the café. We know you are very
busy --in Richmond... but when
you are back in town we would like you to take an hour to:
Sit back
Make a new friend
Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea
Learn about our new initiatives for the upcoming session
Let us know how we can help you to create
"A Life Like
Yours" in 2009!
We would like to thank Delegate Bulova and Senator Petersen
for signing up already!!!
"I have a dream, I have life, I have a name, Café"
98 N.
Washington Street
Falls Church,
VA 22046
703-532-3214 ext. 106
Nancy Mercer will be the contact person for the RSVPs
|
|
For Immediate Release
June 25, 2008
Contacts:
Angela Gates or
Lisa Farbstein
202-962-1051
MetroAccess set to begin door-to-door service on Monday,
June 30
Exciting improvements are underway for MetroAccess, Metro's
shared ride service for people who cannot use public transportation due to a
disability. Starting on Monday, June 30, MetroAccess will change from
curb-to-curb to door-to-door service.
Under the new initiative, drivers will escort MetroAccess
passengers from the first exterior door of the customer's pick-up address into
the vehicle and from the vehicle to the first exterior door of the customer's
destination address.
Information materials are available online and in accessible
formats at http://www.wmata.com/metroaccess/,
along with a video that Metro produced to show customers what to expect with
the new door-to-door service. More customer information is also available by
calling 301-562-4640 (TTY 301-588-7535).
|
|
Dear Friends of The Arc of Virginia,
On Thursday, June 19th, The Arc of Virginia presented
Delegate Kirkland Cox of the 66th district with the 2008 Advocate of the Year
award. We partnered with Chesterfield Community Services Board in
presenting the award and held the celebration in the room next door to where
Delegate Cox first met with people with intellectual disabilities and their
families at the CSB in December 2007 to learn more about the real life
impact of the MR Waiver wait list.
Family members and self-advocates presented the award with
Chesterfield Community Service Board members, representatives of DMHMRSAS, and
Chesterfield County Board Members. Since this ceremony was held in the
home district of Delegate Cox in partnership with his constituents who are
affected by the MR Waiver wait list, we wanted to share this video of the
presentation with you so you could feel as though you were there, as we
certainly felt you there in spirit!. To view of the video of the
presentation and Delegate Cox's acceptance speech, please click here
or visit http://www.arcofva.org/award/2008_adv_award.html
Speakers included:
John McCabe and his sister Jeannette McCabe
Colleen Carfrey and her mother Kathryn Carfrey
Katherine Olsen, representative of People First of
Chesterfield
George Braunstein, Executive Director of the Chesterfield Community
Services Board
Howard Cullum, President of The Arc of Virginia
Robin Wintzer, Chair, Chesterfield
Community Services Board
Lee Price, Director of Virginia Office on Mental
Retardation, DMHMRSAS
Dorothy Jaeckle, Member of the Chesterfield
County Board of Supervisors, Bermuda District
Marleen Durfree, Member of the Chesterfield
County Board of Supervisors, Matoaca District
James Holland, Member of the Chesterfield
County Board
of Supervisors, Dale
District
A special thanks to these speakers, the team of Chesterfield
Community Services Board for their assistance in planning and coordinating this
awards presentation, Positive Vibe Café for providing the wonderful refreshments,
Manuel Liban for the video of the presentation, and of course-the
self-advocates, family members, professionals and concerned citizens who
devoted so much time and energy to advocate on behalf of "A Life Like Yours"
during the 2008 General Assembly session!
We sincerely appreciate your tireless efforts to make the
vision of "A Life Like Yours" a reality here in Virginia! While we certainly have a
lot to celebrate this year, please remember to stay in touch with your
Delegates and Senators about the civil rights of people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities this summer. As Delegate Cox pointed out in
his acceptance speech, "We cannot afford to loose the momentum."!
Have a great week and we will be in touch!
-The Arc of Virginia
From the Petersburg
Progress-Index:
Cox honored for
advocacy efforts
BY MARKUS SCHMIDT
STAFF WRITER
06/22/2008
Printer-friendly
http://www.progress-index.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=2271&dept_id=462946&newsid=19793767
|
|
|
|
 The Arc of Northern Virginia is known as the leader in providing effective advocacy and indispensable direct services for families, children and adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities to enable full, welcoming community participation. Celebrating its 45th year, The Arc of Northern Virginia serves people with cognitive, intellectual, and developmental disabilities and their families in Northern Virginia by providing services to individuals and families with supports for independent living such as: Personal Support Trusts, Developmental Disability Medicaid Waiver support coordination, Developmental Disability Medicaid Waiver Service facilitation, Guardianship program, Information & Referral, Education & Training, & Individual and Systems Support Advocacy. If you have received this email from a friend, please feel free to go to our website and add your own email address to our "Sign up for our e-Newsletter" box. You will receive the latest news about disability in Northern Virginia directly in your mailbox! Sincerely,
Lynn Ruiz & Erin Thompson  Designation #14617 Lynn Ruiz The Arc of Northern Virginia |
|
|
|
|
