• Reduce OMH inpatient capacity
• Increase OMH community-based services 

Hello Members! My name is Melanie Hecker and I am YOUTH POWER!'s new Youth Engagement Consultant. I am a 19 year old student from Albany NY attending Hudson Valley Community College in the Human Services program. I have both Mental Health and ASD diagnosis and seek to provide understanding and equality for all those with a disability or in a system.

With YOUTH POWER! I am working the NYS Success grant. The NYS Success grant aims to coordinate the various care/support systems in New York State. The grant also aims to implement Systems of Care at the statewide level.

"System of Care" is not a program - it is a philosophy. The System of Care (SOC) framework is a coordinated network of community-based services and supports that is organized to meet the physical, mental, social, emotional, educational, and developmental needs of children and their families.

NYS Success is family driven, and seeks to connect the different care providers as opposed to them being "Silos". By having the systems share resources and responsibilities, children and youth will be better served.

In my role as a Youth Engagement Consultant I provide a youth voice and perspective to the grant meetings. I make sure the needs of youth are met and ensure that our experience matters in the decision making. There are 55 upstate counties involved in the grant, with the first year involving Cattaraugus, Chemung, Chenango, Columbia, Cortland, Essex, Franklin, Greene, Rensselear, Schuyler, Tompkins, and Ulster counties.

To contact me, I can be reached at mhecker@youthpowerny.org or at (518)-432-0333 ext. 31

I look forward to serving YOUTH POWER! In these duties and helping make the state a better place for youth.

The Special Education Taskforce is comprised of over 200 parent advocates, school district staff, attorneys and other individuals who specialize in Special Education Law, and work collaboratively to ensure that children with disabilities are educated in the least restrictive setting and receive a free and appropriate education. The Special Education Taskforce works to assure that families and school personnel have the knowledge and skills to enable them to effectively assist students with disabilities. To this end, this publication was developed to help families and educators to work collaboratively in supporting students with disabilities throughout their school years.

Parents and family members are important partners, along with school district personnel, in the education of children with disabilities. Parents provide necessary information to teachers and administrators, play an important role in decisions made about their children and participate as a full member of the Committee on Special Education.  In order for families to have a meaningful role in their children's education they must understand their rights and responsibilities in special education.

This publication provides information for parents and families about laws, regulations, and policies affecting special education programs and services. Our hope is that through the use of this publication, parents, families and school districts will collaborate together in order to help students reach their full potential. Developing this publication has taken the collaborative efforts of many dedicated individuals, organizations and school district personnel. This document is a reflection of the collaboration that is possible when schools and advocates, administrators and families work together to meet our obligation to students with disabilities. Check out the guide in the link below.

Special Education in Plain Language

• Read the policy brief
• Read the blog
• Learn about the ILP Research & Demonstration Project
• Follow NCWD/Youth on Twitter at @ncwdyouth_iel

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seeking applicants/nominations for its Youth Preparedness Council (YPC). The YPC is a unique opportunity for youth leaders to serve on a highly distinguished national council. Members will have the opportunity to:

• Complete a self-selected youth preparedness project.
• Voice opinions, experiences, ideas, and questions on youth disaster preparedness with the leadership of FEMA and national organizations working on youth preparedness.
• Participate in the YPC Summit.

Any individual between the ages of 12 and 17 who is engaged in individual and community preparedness may apply or be nominated to serve on the YPC. An individual may apply on his/her own behalf, or he/she can be nominated by an adult familiar with his/her youth preparedness activities.

Individuals interested in applying to the YPC must submit a completed application form, a narrative, and a letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation can be from any adult, including a parent, guardian, community first responder or teacher. Applications that do not include a letter of recommendation will not be reviewed.

Individuals interested in nominating a youth to the YPC should complete the application form and narrative, but a letter of recommendation is not mandatory. Specific information about completing and submitting the application and attachments can be found on the application.

All applications and supporting materials must be received no later than 11:59 E.D.T. on April 19, 2013 in order to be eligible.

Council members will be selected based on vacancies in the Council. National and regional FEMA representatives will review applications/nominations. Each state and territory falls into one of ten FEMA regions, and each region has a Community Preparedness Officer (CPO); the CPOs report to FEMA Headquarters. Applications will be reviewed by FEMA Headquarters staff and the CPO from the region from which the application originated.

YPC members will be announced in May 2013. Once selected, members serve on the Council for one year, with the option to extend for an additional year, based on a formal request by FEMA.

For more information about the YPC and the Individual and Community Preparedness Division's work on youth preparedness, and to access the application materials, please visit http://www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness.

The purpose of the Fellowship is to prepare emerging and seasoned leaders to assume leadership in the public policy arena nationally and in their home state. During this one year Fellowship, the successful applicant will learn how federal legislation is initiated, developed, and passed by the Congress, as well as how programs are administered and regulations promulgated by federal agencies.
 

Click here for more information on this internship

The Center for Disability Rights (CDR) is pleased to announce a new part-time job opening for a Disability Voter Rights Coordinator to be based out of the Albany office.

The Disability Voter Rights Coordinator's primary function is to increase people with disabilities' participation in the voting process through nonpartisan, coordinated policy and grassroots activities. The Coordinator is responsible for the development and maintenance of a statewide coalition and database of voter information in order to increase voter registration and turn-out within New York's disability community.

For more information, please visit CDR's website www.cdrnys.org. People with disabilities are encouraged to apply. All applications should go directly to CDR's Human Resources Department.

We are really excited about this new position so please help us to distribute this announcement.