Governmental Affairs Newsline: Congressional Briefing and More

November 21, 2013

National Down Syndrome Congress

Governmental Affairs Newsline

In This Issue

Congressional Briefing

Massachusetts Sheltered Workshops

Stop Hurting Kids

Alternate Assessments

National Down Syndrome Congress
30 Mansell Court

Suite 108
Roswell, GA 30076
ndsc@ndsccenter.org
800-232-6372/770-604-9500

NDSC to Co-Host Congressional Briefing

The National Down Syndrome Congress, along with Global Down Syndrome Foundation (Global), National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), Jerome Lejeune Foundation, in conjunction with the Chairs of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus, House of Representatives members McMorris Rodgers, Sessions, Van Hollen and Holmes Norton, will hold a Congressional briefing on December 4, 2013.

Please encourage your Representative to attend.

This important briefing on national and international research findings, economic self-sufficiency of individuals with Down syndrome, and disability employment will be provided by leaders in the field of Down syndrome research and practice. Current legislation, including the ABLE Act and opportunities for future research discoveries will be discussed.

Susan Goodman, Director of Governmental Affairs, will speak on issues related to Employment and Adult Services.

The briefing will be held December 4th, from 8:00 - 9:30 AM at the Longworth House Office Building, Room 1539. NDSC members in the DC area are encouraged to participate. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to GlobalRSVP@mww.com or 202-600-4548.

Massachusetts Closing Sheltered Workshops

The Developmental Disability system in Massachusetts announced in early October that there will be no new admissions to sheltered workshops as of January 1, 2014. In addition, a blueprint was released that reiterated this announcement, and also stated the intent to end all sheltered workshop services in 2015. These steps were taken to begin implementation of the state's Employment First Policy.
The key milestones in the plan include:

Close the "front door" to sheltered workshops as of January 1, 2014 by halting any new referrals to this service.
Close sheltered workshops by June 30, 2015.
Transition participants in sheltered workshop programs during fiscal year 2015 to one of the following options: integrated individual or group employment at minimum wage or higher and/or Community-Based Day Services (CBDS).
DDS remains committed to providing individuals needing day services in a manner that maintains stability for families and residential providers during non-work hours.
Continue to transition individuals from CBDS to integrated work opportunities that pay minimum wage or higher based on person-centered career plans.
Gradually phase out group employment settings that pay less than minimum wage.

Read the full report here.

Restraints and Seclusion: Important Information for Parents

Please read this excellent blog which is supported by NDSC and other partner organizations of the Alliance to Prevent Restraint and Seclusion in Schools. This latest version of the blog contains the following:

1.   Prohibiting Restraint and Seclusion as a Planned Intervention
2.   Identify and Prevent Abuse with a Back to School Checklist
3.   'Restraint and Seclusion: Hear Our Stories' to premiere in Reno, Nevada
4.   View Restraint & Seclusion Laws and Policies by State
5.   People First of Nevada Takes Action on "Scream Rooms"

New Information on Alternate Assessments in Education

The National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) is applying the lessons learned from the past decade of research on alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) to develop a multi-state comprehensive assessment system for students with significant cognitive disabilities. These assessment systems are important in ensuring that students with disabilities have access to quality curriculum.

For more detailed information, go to the Parent Resources section of the NCSC website.

If you have questions, contact susan@ndsccenter.org